Storybrook High
by outlawqueenrumbelle
Summary: OQ AU: 17 year old Regina Mills has it all: Beauty, brains, popularity... Except she doesn't want any of it. Not anymore, not after everyone she's lost in the past year. Regina loves her friends, but she just wants high school to be over so she can move on. But will the arrival of British newcomer, Robin Locksley, finally put the pieces of Regina's life back together?
1. Chapter 1

**Storybrook High**

 **A/N: Hi, friends. Welcome to Storybrook high, where all of our favorite OUAT characters and ships are dwelling together with the same drama and intrigue, PLUS teenage hormones! Primarily OQ, of course, but not only. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1**

 _How_ had she let herself be roped into this, Regina Mills thought miserably to herself in the backseat of her mother's practical, midsize SUV. The first day back to school was a horrific and daunting enough thought, and kickstarting the day with  
this tortured car ride with her mother and half-sister certainly was not going to help matters.

"Regina, for God's sake, stop slouching," Cora Mills, Regina's no-nonsense, endlessly brutal mother snapped from the front seat, disrupting Regina's dreary train of thought. Cora's hands were perched tightly on the steering wheel, in the preferred 10  
and 2 driving position, her eyes fixated on the road in front of her. Regina, after hastily correcting her abysmal posture, quickly glanced at the clock on the front console, signaling that the time was 7:45. They had pulled out of their driveway  
at 7:44. Within the first minute of the ride, Cora had already managed to find something to criticize Regina for. Regina considered that this had to be some kind of record. Naturally, at Cora's critique, Regina's half-sister, Zelena, let out a poorly  
muffled snicker. How Regina despised both of them…

"Sorry, mother," Regina forced herself to get out in response, though gritted teeth. Cora offered no response, rather, she turned her attention to the radio station. Cora regularly expressed her dislike of the teenage generation's 'unmelodious noise making',  
and more often than not, only permitted classical music to be played in her vehicle. Regina had long since grown accustomed to this, and never attempted to argue. At least, not about that.

After settling for her typical, classical music station, Cora took a deep breath before revealing her trademark, tight smile that rarely touched her eyes. Regina knew this look all too well. It signaled that the question that Cora was about to ask had  
a very specific answer in mind, and anything other than the desired answer would not be tolerated. Regina took a moment to appreciate the irony that classical music was supposed to make people feel calm, whereas Regina couldn't recall ever feeling  
any better than mildly uncomfortable while riding in her mother's car.

"So, girls, are you both excited for the beginning of another school year? I know I am," Cora asked Regina and Zelena, her voice steady and relaxed. Cora was the principle of the residential high school in Storybrook, Maine, creatively named Storybrook  
High. Cora had been the principle there ever since Regina could remember, certainly since she'd been born. _'I bet you are,'_ Regina thought bitterly to herself, already imagining what sort of things Cora would find to roast Regina and her friends  
for throughout the year.

Regina was about to start her junior year of high school, and to answer Cora's question, she could not have been less excited about it. Had Cora asked Regina this question two years ago, Regina would have been practically gushing with excitement. She  
would've raved about what new things she had to tell Mary Margaret and Emma, her two best girl friends, and in what new ways she would joke around with her best guy friends, David, Killian, and Gold. Or perhaps she would have babbled about all of  
the exciting AP classes she had filled her freshman schedule with, and the excitement of all the sports seasons about to begin. And at the very least, she would have been secretly fantasizing about how absolutely wonderful it would be to rule the  
9th grade with her perfect boyfriend and first love, Daniel Stables. Had Cora asked Regina this question one year ago, her answer would have been much different. She still would be taking exciting new AP classes. Sports seasons would still be about  
to be begin. And Regina still would have been anxious beyond belief to get back to her beloved friends and Daniel, but this time, for an entirely different reason. In the summer between her freshman and sophomore years… Regina's seemingly perfect  
life had begun to crumble down around her.

Cora and Henry Mills had had everything but a typical and loving marriage. Regina, personally, could not fathom a couple less suited for one another and who showed less affection towards each other. And as evidence of this discord in their marriage, both  
Cora and Henry had managed to conceive children as products of their affairs.

Zelena had come into Regina's life when Regina was five years old. Zelena was actually one year older than Regina, but the circumstances of her birth could not have been more different. Cora had never disclosed any of the particulars to Regina, but Regina  
had postulated the details both from occasional slips of the tongue from Cora and Henry, as well as her own rather fine tuned guessing abilities. It seemed that Cora had indulged in a… certain liaison with a man named James, which, in turn, had resulted  
in an unplanned and very unwanted pregnancy for Cora. Despite this, Cora and James decided that Cora would have the baby girl anyways, as James had agreed to raise her on his own, away from Cora and her family. As a result, Zelena had spent the first  
five years of her life with her father as planned, and Cora and Henry had had their own daughter a year later, whom they named Regina. However, five years after taking Zelena in, James reentered Cora's life, insisting that he could not take care of  
Zelena any longer and demanding that Cora should take her. Cora had been resistant initially, but it had been the insistence of Regina's father, Henry, that no child should suffer without a family that had gotten Cora to bring Zelena into the Mills  
home as their own. And Zelena had been with them ever since.

One might think that this was more than a suburban Maine family's fair share of household drama, but this was only the half of it. When Regina was nine years old, Henry himself decided to indulge in an extramarital affair as well, which also resulted  
in the woman he slept with, Amanda, becoming pregnant (Cora and Henry were many things, but lucky, it seemed, they were not). In similar fashion to Cora's situation, Amanda agreed that she would raise her son on her own without Henry's help. Henry,  
who had always prided himself on being a rather upstanding man, fully financially and emotionally supported Amanda during her pregnancy anyways, and wanted to be a part of his son's life. But when the time came for Amanda to give birth, things did  
not go as planned, and Amanda passed away in childbirth. She'd had a rare genetic condition that predisposed her to complications in labor, the doctor had said. Furthermore, little had Henry known, but Amanda had already named their son, and she had  
decided to name him Henry, after his father who had taken such good care of her. And so, of course, Henry Sr. took Henry Jr. into the Mills home as well. Regina had always suspected that Cora had allowed this not because she had any real sense of  
justice in that she had done the same thing with Zelena, or because she cared about the new child who had just lost his mother, but because she couldn't bear the thought of Regina and Zelena thinking she was too weak to handle the situation gracefully.  
Regina believed this to be the truth based on the complete lack of affection Cora demonstrated towards Henry Jr.. She'd always made him feel about as welcome as a disease, and did her best to just ignore him.

Regina Mills had always been a daddy's girl. Always had been, and always would be. At least she'd thought so. Regina and her father had been close beyond belief. Regina set time aside every weekend to spend time with her father rather than her friends,  
and she told him everything. Every happiness, every sadness, every secret, every worry. Everything, she confided everything in him. And perhaps more than anything… Regina adored him for bringing Henry Jr. into her life. Regina would never be able  
to accurately put into words the love she felt for her little brother, as it was unrivaled by any other love she'd ever felt in her life. She had taken him everywhere, let him hang out with her and her friends whenever he wished. He often slept in  
her bed with her, she read stories to him whenever he asked (and boy, did he ask frequently. Henry had absolutely loved fairytales). Henry Sr. and Henry Jr. were the two most important people in Regina's life, and Regina would not have hesitated to  
say as much to anyone who asked. So when both of them were killed in a car crash the summer between Regina's freshman and sophomore years, everything changed.

The memories of that awful summer were almost hazy to Regina. The weeks were filled with endless condolences, endless legal meetings of discussing her father's will, and endless emotional trauma for Regina. Cora and Zelena, of course, had managed to handle  
the two losses just fine, primarily focused on handling their financial situation and pressing forward with their lives as quickly as possible with as little drama as necessary. Regina, on the other hand… had been utterly and completely crushed. She'd  
bawled herself to sleep every single night, she couldn't see any boy under the age of 8 without crying… That summer had been a true nightmare for Regina. Of course, losing her father and Henry still plagued her, still haunted her regularly. She still  
struggled to pass Henry's old room in her house. She still died a little inside every time she saw children, because she couldn't face the fact that they would get to grow up and be happy, and Henry wouldn't. Sometimes, as if by rote, she would walk  
into her father's old study to tell him something, some trivial event that had occurred during her day, and she'd realize all over again that he wasn't there. But… at least she'd had her friends. At least she had her friends and Daniel to lean on,  
to fall back on, to distract her and take care of her and make her feel better. But now… now everything was different.

"Regina?" Regina suddenly heard Cora asking her coolly, clearly annoyed that Regina hadn't answered her question yet.

"Oh, um, yes, ecstatic," Regina got out in response, gazing placidly out the side window, doing what she could to just ignore her mother and Zelena.

"Not that anyone would be able to tell. Some people actually put effort into their appearance for a special occasion," Cora said flippantly, briefly glancing up in the rear view mirror to make spiteful eye contact with Regina. Regina's face burned. Of  
course, it wouldn't be a Mills family morning if Regina wasn't insulted for her appearance at least once.

"Honestly, Regina, if you needed help finding something to wear, all you had to do was ask!" Zelena interjected, her voice so falsely laced with cheer and kindness that Regina almost rolled the window down and hurled.

Zelena and Regina did not get along, to say the least. Zelena had always been unendingly bitter and jealous of Regina, because, for whatever reason, she blamed Regina for the miserable first few years of her life. It wasn't as though Regina had had any  
say in the matter, seeing as she wasn't even _born_ yet. She hated that Regina had been born into a stable and loving home, while she'd been cast aside to make room for her. And to make up for this resentment, Zelena made it her personal mission  
in life to one up Regina in _everything_ , in every possible way that she could _._ Whatever Regina did, Zelena attempted to do and do better. Regina truly did not understand Zelena's competitiveness, considering the fact that Cora so blatantly  
preferred Zelena anyways. While Cora was constantly poking and prodding and nit picking at every single movement Regina made, Cora did nothing but fawn over Zelena and ask Regina why she couldn't just be more like her sister.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just thought the first day of school stopped qualifying as a special occasion when we turned six," Regina was unable to resist responding sarcastically, knowing that she'd probably pay for it. Besides, there wasn't even anything  
wrong with the way she was dressed, and she knew that. Regina was wearing her typical dark wash skinny jeans, which she rolled up at the bottoms, a thin white tank top, which she had loosely tucked into her jeans, the casual, long black blazer she  
often wore, and her normal casual slip-on laceless black shoes. Her ebony hair had been left in its natural state, and fell to just below her breasts in dark, layered waves. She wore her usual, light amount of makeup: a bit of mascara, a bit of eyeliner  
rimming her chocolate brown eyes, and a bit of red lip tint that made her already deeply red lips look even fuller. Essentially, she looked exactly like she always looked.

"And maybe that's why you don't have a boyfriend anymore," Zelena calmly snarked. Her sister's horribly rude audacity combined with the mention of Daniel in general made Regina's blood boil. Regina could just _feel_ Zelena's complacent smirk from  
the front seat. She lunged forward in her seat instinctively

"Did you _have_ to?" Regina snarled furiously. Zelena whipped around as if to respond, before Cora intervened.

"Regina, please, can't we just have a calm morning, for once?" Cora interrupted irritably, rolling her eyes at her youngest daughter. How typical. Regina fought the urge to jump out of the moving car. She briefly considered how many times she had had  
this urge in her life time… it had to be over a million, she reckoned.

The car ride couldn't have ended quickly enough. Regina practically leapt out of the car before it had come to a complete stop, unceremoniously yanking her black messenger back out of the seat after her. She stalked away from Cora and Zelena before they  
had time to stop her and instinctively began to make her way towards her and her friends' usual morning meet up spot. Actually, on a normal day, they would all have gone to Granny's before school for coffee or breakfast, and then walked together.  
But the first day of school was always an exception to their normal rules. And besides, today, it's not like Regina would have joined them anyways.

Regina quickly realized that she had nowhere to go. There was still about twenty minutes before the first bell rang, and she had nowhere to stand, no one to talk to. Well, this certainly was foreign territory for Regina Mills, once one of the most popular  
girls in school. Regina stopped in her tracks and considered her options for a moment. It's not necessarily that she _couldn't_ go stand with her real friends. Especially the guys, they wouldn't think anything of it and at least it would make  
her feel normal. But… the thought of seeing Mary Margaret and Emma was just… too much, after everything that had happened. The thought of walking over to their normal spot, the lone wooden table by the entryway steps to the school, alone was just  
horrifying. Regina knew that all she would be able to see was the absence of Daniel and the horrible events that had lead to his absence. As Regina grew closer to her friends' normal meeting place, and stared at that wooden table, she felt her mind  
wander…

 _"Daniel!" Regina shouted furiously after him, as he stalked off down the steps in front of her. She had to run to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm and whirled him around to face her. He immediately yanked his arm away at the contact._

 _He hadn't even attempted to hide it. His normally warm, clear blue eyes were completely red and bloodshot. His hair was overall unkempt and his facial hair, which was normally clean shaven to begin with, was much longer than school regulation permitted. He just… looked strung out, nobody in their right mind would be able to ignore that he was on something. Cora certainly wouldn't have. If Killian hadn't happened to walk into that bathroom and warn Regina before a teacher had found him… Regina didn't even want to think about what would have happened._

 _"I don't want to do this right now, Regina," Daniel said, not dignifying the subject with near the seriousness it deserved._

 _"Does it look like I care what you want right now?_ ** _Drugs,_** _Daniel, seriously?! What were you thinking?" Regina asked, doing what she could to sound angry, but it honestly just sounded like she was pleading with him. Because she was. For the past six months, Regina had been watching Daniel, her first love, gradually slip away from her, and she had been powerless to stop it._

 _"God knows you don't care what I want, Regina," Daniel snapped angrily. Regina's blood boiled. Well, now she was angry. She couldn't believe Daniel had the audacity to say something like that, in this situation. She hated him for making her deal with him right now, and for the past six months. In the worst year of her life, after she lost her father and her little brother, Daniel felt that_ ** _now_** _was the ideal time to emotionally abandon her in exchange for drugs and partying. She couldn't stop the resentment she felt towards him from pouring into her voice now._

 _"Oh, so this is_ ** _my_** _fault? Really, Daniel, is that the best you can do?" Regina sneered back venomously._

 _"This is your fault!"_

 _"You're telling me that it's my fault that in the past six months, your grades have tanked, you lost your place on the football team, your friends can't stand to look at you, and you've resorted to lighting up in the boys bathroom in the middle of the school day? I mean really, Daniel, did you_ ** _have_** _to?! In the school where my mother is the principal, did you absolutely need to smoke a joint in the middle of the day?" Regina responded viciously, letting the sarcasm flow thick. Daniel glowered at her._

 _"I'm surprised you even had time to notice, it's not like you have time for me anymore anyways," Daniel replied coldly, turning to walk away from her again. She grabbed his arm and turned him back around again._

 _"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina asked him, half angrily, half genuinely interested in what his answer would be._

 _"You haven't exactly been yourself this year, Regina," Daniel answered her, as though what he'd just said was some grand, justified insult. Regina had to work extremely hard not to let her jaw actually fall open. Was he seriously trying to blame Regina's emotional turmoil for his own life's rapid decline?_

 _"My father and little brother_ ** _died_** _, Daniel! I'm sorry that I haven't exactly been as peppy and exciting as I might have been before. Are you sure that's the defense you want to go with?" Regina spit back in disgust. Daniel laughed coolly without any trace of humor, before he turned to walk away from her again. Regina didn't stop him this time._

 _"I don't give a shit about any of it anymore, Regina," Daniel called back to her without turning around, his voice empty, leaving Regina standing at the table alone, with no idea in hell what to do next._

And that was the night she'd caught him… Regina felt her whole body shiver in repulsion at remembering that awful night when she'd seen Daniel-

"REGINA!" Emma Swan's loud and bold voice suddenly called out to her, ripping her out of her horrible train of thought. Regina froze dead in her tracks, knowing she had nowhere to run.

Regina slowly turned around to see Emma and Mary Margaret rapidly approaching. She hadn't seen either of them since the last day of her sophomore year, and seeing Mary Margaret's face caused a most bizarre reaction inside of Regina. Part of her wanted  
to punch Mary Margaret's annoyingly pure and beautiful face with every bit of strength and resentment that she had boiling inside of her, wanted to scream at her until she lost her voice. And, much to Regina's annoyance, a significantly larger part  
of her suddenly wanted more than anything to run to her friend, throw her arms around her, sob her eyes out, and never let go.

Fortunately, Regina didn't have to make the choice, because Emma made the decision for her as the blonde eagerly embraced Regina and pulled her into the biggest hug Regina thought she'd ever been a part of.

The hug didn't last long, as Emma wasn't really much of a physical contact kind of person. Regina suspected that the hug she'd just received was truly from Mary Margaret, who was clearly smart enough to know that she really shouldn't attempt something  
like that with Regina at this particular time.

"Hi, Regina," Mary Margaret said softly, her warm, green eyes frustratingly inviting and emotionally tempting to Regina.

Regina felt like she was literally being strangled to death by all of her feelings in this moment. What the hell was she supposed to do? It was as though seeing her friends was very quickly dissipating all the anger and resentment she'd been hanging onto  
all summer, but at the same time she wasn't ready to let it go…

"Hey," Regina heard herself respond blankly, completely at a loss for words, her tone not betraying anything she was feeling.

"How are you?" Emma asked intensely, her smoky green eyes burning with intrigue. Wasn't that the million dollar question, Regina thought irritably to herself. Considering that in the moment, Regina herself had no idea how the hell she was doing.

"Regina… I haven't seen you all summer, I don't know what to say…" Mary Margaret trailed off uncertainly before Regina could respond to Emma's question, her eyes welling up with tears. Classic Snow, already crying, Regina thought to herself, internally  
sighing.

Mary Margaret had inherited the nickname 'Snow White' from the fact that in elementary school, she, along with quite a few of Regina's friends, actually, had all been forced by their teacher to participate in a fairy tale play. Mary Margaret, who had  
been cast as the lead heroine, Snow White, due to her adorably innocent and simplistically beautiful features, had absolutely relished her role. The nickname had began as something of a mockery (which Regina had started, haha, whoops), but eventually  
morphed into more of a term of endearment within their friend group. More often than not, Regina referred to Mary Margaret as Snow. Regina herself, had been cast as the evil queen in that play. This casting job had also been a tragically accurate  
one at the time, as Regina had spent most of her younger years being a completely evil bully and terrorizing the other kids in her grade. Especially Mary Margaret. Fortunately for Regina's social life, she'd grown out of the evil stage once middle  
school started, but that rather unfortunate phase of her life had certainly lived on as an inside joke amongst her friends. Pretty much every time Regina said something snarky, sassy, or sarcastic (which was often), someone made some sort of reference  
to her being the evil queen.

Of course, Snow would already be crying. But it just made it even worse for Regina, because it made it even more difficult not to just give in and forgive her. But… _Daniel…_

"You don't have to say anything, Snow," Regina said softly. The use of her nickname made Mary Margaret smile a little bit, as Regina only used it when she was being loving. She may not have been ready to kiss and makeup, but she at least didn't want Mary  
Margaret thinking she was furious with her.

"I'm sorry, Regina," she said gently, reaching out for Regina's hand. Regina smiled shortly.

"You did the right thing," Regina found herself admitting, surprising even herself.

"I know. But I'm sorry for how my doing the right thing must have made you feel. And I'm sorry you felt like you had to spend the summer alone to deal with it. I can't imagine how you must be feeling today, being here without him, and not having your  
friends around you to support you… I'm not sorry for what I did, but I'm sorry for the pain I'm sure it caused you," Mary Margaret said. It was a rather audacious thing for her to say, frankly, that she wasn't sorry for what she did. But it was actually  
was exactly what she should have said. Because if Snow felt guilty for doing what she did to Daniel, it would mean that she hadn't been sure what she did was the right thing for Regina. But the fact that she was so sure somewhat put Regina at ease.  
At least she'd gone through it for a reason, at least Snow had been watching out for her. Besides, Regina wasn't a fool. Of course she knew that her and Daniel's relationship was not worth fighting for anymore, not after what he'd done…

 _Regina knew that she was drunk, potentially a bit more than she should be. But to be completely honest, she'd earned it. After the fight she'd had with Daniel today, and the year she'd had in general… Alcohol had seemed like a stellar idea when Emma and Snow had suggested it. One of their closest friends, Killian Jones, was having a party, since his older brother, Liam, was gone for the weekend and probably would allow a party even if he were in town. Practically the whole grade was going to be there, according to Emma. And who was Regina to deny her two best friends such a tempting invitation?_

 _Currently, Regina was sitting on one of the black leather couches in Killian's living room, comfortably wedged between David Nolan, Mary Margaret's forever boyfriend, and Gold, one of her closest male friends._

 _"Alright, Regina, if you can down this beer in 10 seconds, I will do all of your algebra homework for the rest of the school year," Gold offered slyly, pressing a cold can of beer into Regina's waiting hand. Regina certainly wouldn't pass up a deal involving less algebra._

 _"Deal," Regina shouted without any hesitation. Gold cheered, and David prepared his stopwatch._

 _"Okay, wait, I have to pee before I do this. Then I will make you sorry for ever being foolish enough to enter a bet with me," Regina responded, affectionally rumpling Gold's long shaggy brown hair, grinning from ear to ear._

 _"Long live the evil queen!" Killian suddenly shouted from behind her as he reentered the room. Everyone around cheered at that comment. Regina rolled her eyes, but offered a regal curtsy to her admirers, before she left the room to go to the bathroom._

 _Regina was too drunk to recall where the downstairs bathroom was, so she settled for the one she knew was in Killian's room upstairs. She slightly stumbled up the stairs, but she was having too good of a time relaxing with her friends to worry about her level of intoxication. Besides, she was a teenage girl, who had gone through more than any teenage girl should have to in the last year: why shouldn't she have a little fun with her friends?_

 _Regina made her way down the hallway to Killian's room, but before she pushed open the door, she heard a muffled noise from inside the room. It was something like a nauseatingly feminine giggle. Against her better judgement, she pushed open the door anyways._

 _There, within the dimly lit room, in plain sight on the middle of the bed, was Daniel. And he was not alone. Regina had just walked in on Daniel Stables, her first and only love, right in the middle of having sex with Rose Green, the biggest slut in their grade._

 _Regina didn't think it was possible to sober up so quickly. The fog hazing her mind immediately dissipated. The spinning in her head slowed, so that her eyes were forced to zero in on the sight of the boy she loved having sex with someone else. Something he had never done with her. Regina felt as though the entire world quieted, like there was nothing else happening. All the noise and ruckus downstairs disappeared to her, and all she could focus on was the sudden aching in every part of her body. Especially her heart. Regina felt as though Daniel had literally just punched a hole straight through her chest, and it took all her strength not to collapse to the ground, curl up into a fetal position, and die._

 _When she entered the room, Daniel and Rose immediately shot away from each other. Regina tried to speak but it seemed that every word she'd ever learned had just evaporated from her vocabulary. Her mind was completely blank._

 _"Oh god, Regina-" Daniel began. But it was clear that even he didn't know what to say._

 _"Daniel, no," Regina heard herself whimper pathetically. Daniel, who had now stood up from the bed quickly shoved his legs back into his pants and pulled them up. Regina didn't think she'd ever seen him move so quickly. Daniel began to take a step towards her, his hand outstretched, as though he were approaching a wild beast that might attack at any time. To be perfectly honest, the analogy wasn't completely inaccurate. Regina didn't know what she was capable of right now._

 _"Daniel, you didn't, please, Daniel, you didn't," she whispered, her eyes squinting as though she were about to cry. But there were no tears._

 _"Regina, please, try and understand. I was angry, I was-" Daniel tried to respond. But that did it, that pathetic attempt at an excuse sent Regina's composure and vocal abilities rushing back to her._

 _"_ ** _You_** _were angry?! How could you do this to me?!" Regina practically screamed. Daniel vigorously shook his head and began walking towards her again. He tried to wrap his arms around her but Regina immediately withdrew from his grasp. She punched him in the chest about a million times in a row._

 _"Don't touch me!" She remembered screaming, just as Snow, Emma, and David came sprinting up the stairs to see what was happening. It didn't take much explaining, as soon as they saw Rose casually relaxing in the bed half clothed, and Daniel also half naked, they pretty much put the pieces together themselves._

 _"Aye! Bloody hell, mate, are you serious? In_ ** _my_** _bed?!" Regina remembers hearing Killian shout at Daniel, poised to punch him in the face, as David scooped Regina, who was now bawling her eyes out, into his arms and carried her out of the room and out of the house._

That was really all Regina could remember of that particular night. Not that she wanted to remember any more of it.

"Look, I, um, I appreciate you apologizing. And I'm sorry too, for disappearing all summer. I just… I just feel a little lost," Regina found herself responding to Snow after a very pregnant pause, during which Regina had relived the horrible memories  
of the night she caught Daniel with Rose.

"Is there anything we can do?" Emma asked earnestly.

"I'm not sure what I want. I want to forgive you, Snow, I want to be okay with what happened, I want to move on. I just don't know know if I'm ready for everything to just go back to normal. I just… God, I just want high school to be over," Regina said,  
making eye contact with Snow. Snow again took Regina's hand in hers.

"If it's time you need, you can have all of it that you want. I just… can't stand the thought of you feeling alone, even for a second," Snow said gently. Regina couldn't help but smile at that. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve such loving friends,  
quite frankly. Even if sometimes they did overstep their boundaries.

"Do you want us to leave you alone now, or…?" Emma interrupted the tender moment, her usual bull-in-a-china-shop personality coming out to play. Regina chuckled a little at that.

"No. Let's give this a shot, if I'm suffering too much, I'll be sure to let you know," she responding, smiling at her two best friends. She could see the relief on both of their faces.

"Thank God. I never thought I'd admit this, so savor it, but I've actually _missed_ your sarcastic jabs and insults. I guess spending all my time with sickly sweet over here is getting to me," Emma said playfully, casually poking Snow in the ribs.  
Snow gasped in mock heartbreak.

"I'm wounded. Come on, let's go to class."

Much to Regina's disappointment, her first period class, AP Chemistry II, was severely lacking in the peer department. The class was filled with none of her friends, rather, contained all the people she did her best to avoid at all costs.

Regina managed to snag a seat near the back corner, where, hopefully, no one would disturb her and she would be able to daydream and scheme to her heart's content without fear of retribution from whoever was teaching the class.

However, Regina's pleasure with her seat selection was short lived, as Mallory Dragons and Ella Houndson came sauntering through the door. Mallory and Ella were two of Regina's least favorite people in school. Their constant air of thinking they were  
better than everyone else when they so clearly were not was absolutely infuriating to Regina. Besides, Regina knew how much they wished they could be friends with her and her friends. They were constantly kissing up to her, and attempting to maneuver  
the hottest gossip out of her, as if she would spill to them.

"Regina!" Mallory cooed in her obnoxious, fake saccharine laced voice. Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. Mallory and Ella quickly wove through the rows of desks to take the seats on either side of Regina.

"Oh, lucky me," Regina said sarcastically, as Ella and Mallory sat down in their seats. The sarcasm, naturally, went right over both of their heads and they smiled as though she had just told them she wanted to get married.

"So, Regina, how was your summer?" Ella asked in her ridiculously overdone British accent.

"Spectacular, I'm thrilled to be back. What about you, ladies?" Regina replied, feigning over enthusiasm. Regina couldn't deny that she did, from time to time, enjoy messing with the two idiots.

"Fine, thanks. But I _have_ to ask, I'm sure I didn't see you walking into school with Mary Margaret and Emma today? Surely not after all that… _drama_ at the end of last year," Ella said complacently, smirking. Exhibit A of trying to extract  
gossip. They were only about 45 seconds into their conversation, and already they were attempting to get something from her. People seemed to be setting all kinds of obnoxious records today, didn't they?

"I can't speak for what you may or may not have seen, Ella," Regina replied flippantly, opening her red spiral notebook and sassily clicking her pen, as though she were actually going to take notes.

"I couldn't imagine that after what Mary Margaret did, you would ever speak to her again!" Mallory exclaimed, letting out a nasally laugh. Regina's hand clenched around her pen at the mention. How well aware she was of the repercussions of what Mary Margaret  
had done…

 _"Excuse me, Mr. Archibald, but I need to extract Ms. Mills from class for a few minutes. She should be back before the end of the period," Cora Mills announced to all of Regina's AP biology class. Regina, who, up until this interruption, had been vigorously taking notes so that she wouldn't have to think about anything else, snapped her head up in surprise. Well, this certainly didn't bode well… Regina quickly attempted to exchange a panicked and puzzled glance with Snow, who was seated on her left, but was confused to see that Snow was doing what she could to avert her gaze from Regina's. Regina stood up in bewilderment, feeling every set of eyes in the class (except for Snow's, evidently) following her as she made her way to the door where Cora was waiting for her._

 _Cora held the door open, and Regina walked under her arm._

 _"Yes, Mother?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. She wondered what could possibly be so important that she felt the need to take Regina out of class. She couldn't imagine the news she was sure to receive would be good._

 _"We need to talk."_

 _The walk to Cora's office was silent, with the exception of the clicking of Cora's sensible black heels on the solid floor of the high school's hallways. Regina tried not to think about what was sure to go down next, rather, attempted to remain focused on keeping her breathing steady._

 _Cora shut the door to her office behind her, and sat down her in black, leather, very official looking arm chair behind her desk. Regina mindlessly took a seat in one of the two wooden chairs on the opposite side of the desk._

 _"Regina… I have some… news," Cora began hesitantly, inhaling deeply._

 _"What kind of news?"_

 _"Not the good kind… I really don't think there's a good way to tell you this-" Cora continued, sighing again._

 _"Then I wish you wouldn't stall so much, what happened?" Regina was unable to help interrupting, her voice shaking. If Regina hadn't been so obviously terrified, she was certain her mother would have rebuked her for her insolent interruption._

 _"Regina, I received a report from a reliable source that Daniel has been partaking in drug related activities on school campus. I'm afraid I have no choice but to expel him," Cora said matter of factly, all traces of her previous concern and empathy for her daughter having disappeared._

 _Regina's stomach plummeted, and she felt as though all the wind had been knocked out of her. Every bone in her body tensed, as though if she moved a muscle, it would break. She was at a loss for words._

 _This kind of reaction seemed to be happening to her rather often lately. It had only been a week since she'd caught Daniel with Rose. He'd tried to talk to her at school, he'd called her a thousand times, he'd come to her house, he'd done everything he possibly could. At first, it had been Regina that resisted him. But as the week wore on and her resolve to stay away from him weakened, her friends made absolutely sure that she didn't even have the chance to break down. Snow and Emma stayed with her wherever she was, to ensure that he didn't dare try and speak to her, while David, Killian and Gold practically stalked Daniel around campus to make sure that he didn't get any ideas about trying to approach Regina. Regina, as ashamed to admit it as she was, was a complete and utter wreck. She didn't know how to exist without him, he'd been by her side for four years… And even though their relationship had been horrific in the last six months, she'd never lost faith in them. She'd believed that it had just been a rough patch, and then the issue with Rose happened and she was at a complete loss… And now, it seemed, her relationship with Daniel was truly about to come to an end. Before she'd even had the chance to decide what she wanted to do. If there was one thing Regina hated more than anything, it was having control ripped away from her. Having other people make decisions for her…_

 _"I'm sorry about this, I imagine this is a bit upsetting to you. But Daniel's grades have been atrocious this semester, he no longer participates in any sports, and everyone has noticed his poor appearance lately… In fact, my source tells me that Daniel has been doing drugs for several months now… Did you know about this?" Cora asked Regina impassively. Regina absolutely despised her mother right now, only Cora would ask these kinds of questions after telling her that she was going to_ ** _expel_** _her boyfriend._

 _"No," Regina replied quietly. Obviously, this was a complete lie but Regina would sooner cut off her own arm than give her mother the satisfaction of knowing that her daughter had knowingly allowed her boyfriend to spin so far out of control._

 _"I see. Either way, a one time offense of this kind is still grounds for expulsion. I just notified Daniel and his parents last period. I wanted to let you know before everyone else did," Cora said simply, as though she was doing Regina some huge favor by giving her the heads up. It was as though she was completely unaffected by what was going on. Who was she kidding, Regina would bet her life that Cora really_ ** _was_** _unaffected. In fact, she was probably delighted. Cora had always despised Daniel, and disapproved of his relationship with Regina. This was based on nothing other than the fact that Daniel's family was poorer than most people in Storybrook. Cora had always only had eyes for money and power. Always._

 _Regina remained in her seat, completely frozen, completely unsure of what to do next. There was no other high school in Storybrook, because it was so isolated. Daniel would most likely have to move away to find another school he could attend. And his family had always struggled with the high rent prices in Storybook anyways, they now had no reason to stay. Especially since Daniel and Regina's relationship had seemingly fallen apart, there was nothing keeping him here… Regina felt panic rising in her as she tried to imagine her life without Daniel in it and couldn't._

 _"Regina, you can go back to class now," Cora's voice suddenly interrupted her. Regina, as though in the middle of a nightmare, mindlessly rose from her chair and turned to leave. She felt like a zombie, like she had no control over her body's movements._

 _All Regina wanted was to get back to Snow, so she could completely break down and let out of all of the awful feelings she'd been experiencing in the past week. And then, a horrible, horrible thought drifted into to her mind as she recalled the way that Snow had been unable to look at her, minutes ago…_

 _"Mother?" Regina heard herself ask, her voice empty and quiet._

 _"Yes, dear?"_

 _"Who told you that Daniel was doing drugs? Who was your 'reliable source'?" Regina asked, terrified for her mother's answer, because she suddenly knew exactly what it would be._

 _"Mary Margaret Blanchard."_

Naturally, a horrible confrontation followed; largely, involving Regina screaming at Mary Margaret, asking how she could have betrayed her so horribly. Mary Margaret mostly just took it, standing silently while Regina yelled at her, tears silently streaming  
down her face. When Regina had finished, Mary Margaret had explained calmly that she'd done it because she couldn't stand watching Daniel treat Regina so horribly anymore, that he had made her already unbearable year that much worse, and was only  
going to cause her more grief. That what he had done with Rose was the last straw and was unforgivable. That the only thing she could think of to do was to take the reins out of Regina's hands, and hand them to Cora.

Regina had hated her so much in that moment, she'd felt as though she _would_ never speak to her again. And the worst part of it was that, all along, she knew that Mary Margaret was right.

The rest of Regina's classes before lunch period passed without anything truly interesting to report. Luckily, she'd had better fortune in the peer department. She had AP English with Snow, Emma, and David. She had AP Latin with Gold and Killian. She  
had AP US History with Emma, Killian, Gold, and David. All and all, her schedule was pretty decent so far.

Regina was walking to lunch with Mary Margaret and David now. Naturally, they were holding hands and shooting each other nauseating, romantic looks every so often. Ah, Snow and Charming. The school's most notoriously enviable couple. David hadn't been  
so unfortunate as to have been in the elementary school play with the others, but he had inherited his nickname 'Charming' just by dating Mary Margaret. He was called Charming only when he was being discussed in relativity to Snow, or when someone  
was making a mockery of him.

"So, the usual table, ladies?" David asked facetiously, smiling at both of them. Not that she'd ever admit it, as he was such an annoying goody-goody and basic high school guy, Regina secretly adored David. He was one of her favorite and most trusted  
people.

"Actually, we'll be sitting at the usual table. You'll be sitting alone," Regina joked, grinning and playfully punching his shoulder.

"Lovely to see the evil queen rearing her gorgeous head," David replied, smiling and rolling his eyes as he swiftly kissed Snow's cheek. He headed off off towards their usual table in the far right corner of the cafeteria, the one closest to the windows.  
It was the only round top in the entire cafeteria, all the others were rectangular. Regina and Emma had claimed it as theirs on the very first day of freshman year. Ever since, it had unfailingly been occupied by Regina, Emma, Mary Margaret, David,  
Killian, and Gold, with a few occasional drop ins.

"You know… as much as I want you to, you don't have to sit with us today if it's too much too soon. We would all understand. Besides, there's no rush. Your chair will always be there for you, Regina," Mary Margaret said suddenly to Regina, smiling at  
her earnestly. Regina's heart warmed a little bit, much to her chagrin. She secretly loved being such an adored member of a group, it made her feel like… home.

"I thought that I would never be ready to come back. And I won't say nothing has changed, and that I'm over it. I'll never really be over it, and things will never be the same, but I'm not going to force myself to remain in isolation, it's only made me  
more miserable. So I think I'll… Reclaim my throne, if it's alright with you," Regina responded after a moment, smirking.

Even though she heavily felt the hole in heart that Daniel had once filled, and was very aware that something was missing from her life now, and quite frankly, just wished that high school would be over so she could move on…At the sound of Snow's wholehearted  
laughter, Regina felt the pieces of her world slowly beginning to realign


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Coffee. 2 creams, 1 sugar," Regina said absentmindedly, as though by rote. Granny Lucas nodded, not needing to jot down Regina's order. After fourteen years of Regina ordering the same thing virtually every weekday, Granny had the order memorized pretty well.

"Coming right up," she replied.

"Thanks, Granny."

Granny's Diner was essentially the primary meet up spot for any teenager with a social life in Storybrook. The diner, which appeared to be straight out of a fifties movie, had stood, unchanged, since Granny had opened it in, naturally, 1953. Despite being in her late seventies, Granny Lucas was sharp as a tack, knowing practically every single one of her regular customer's names as well as their orders. The food was honestly the best, as Granny had hand crafted each recipe herself and never allowed her staff to even slightly deviate from them.

Regina and her friends had been coming here every morning before school ever since she could remember. Regina certainly would never complain about this, seeing as the food truly was a god send. In addition to that, one of her better acquaintances, Ruby Lucas, Granny's granddaughter, worked part time at the diner and never hesitated to give a discount when she was able to escape Granny's watchful eye.

Regina looked around the diner, taking in the usual morning crowd, while waiting for the rest of her friends to arrive. Regina had always made it a habit to arrive a few minutes before anyone else, lest she have to wait in line for her sacred morning coffee.

"Good morning, love," Killian Jones greeted as he bustled through the door in his typical lackluster fashion. Regina rolled her eyes at Killian's usual disheveled appearance. Why he insisted upon wearing his leather jacket in the middle of August, Regina did not even attempt to comprehend.

"Good morning, Killian," Regina responded sarcastically. Killian chuckled as he joined her at the counter.

"I'll take four donuts and a cappuccino please," Killian called out to Granny, who responded with a curt head nod as she moved to fill his order.

"New health kick? I see you're down from your normal six donuts," Regina commented snidely. Killian laughed.

"Sadly, yes. Emma mentioned that she though I might be losing my prime physique over the summer. She was imagining things, I'm sure, but I thought it best not to risk it," Killian replied goofily, winking. Regina laughed, in spite of herself.

"Well, that brings up a good conversation point. What exactly _is_ going on between you and Emma right now? I have a summer of ups and downs to catch up on, it seems," Regina asked Killian, smirking. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"As usual, I'm the last to know about anything concerning the status of Emma and I's relationship. You'd be better off asking Emma, or Mary Margaret. Anyone but me," Killian answered irritably. Clearly Regina had hit a nerve, leading her to believe he and Emma were in a down stage.

Killian and Emma's on again-off again relationship was nothing short of famous in Regina's grade. They'd become known for their constant bickering and sarcastic banter, pretty much as soon as Emma had moved to Storybrook from Boston in the seventh grade. It was as though each had an unspoken monopoly on the other. They technically were not together, but one would be a complete fool to try anything with either Killian or Emma; they were both essentially off limits to anyone but each other. It was obvious that they clearly wanted to be together, but Regina suspected they both enjoyed the excitement that came with the petty drama too much to just admit it.

Emma, Mary Margaret, David, and Gold all came sauntering in the door moments later.

"For the first time possibly ever, I have interesting gossip to report!" Emma announced as the friends made their way over to Killian and Regina.

"Do tell," Regina indulged her, despite having absolutely no interest in what she was about to say.

"I was at school late yesterday for soccer practice, and I heard your mom on the phone talking to someone, Regina," Emma began, wiggling her eyebrows as to try and increase everyone's interest in her story. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Enough with the theatrics, drama queen, what was she saying?" Regina said snidely.

"I don't know who she was talking to, but apparently we're getting a new student from _England!_ " Emma exclaimed excitedly. This actually was more interesting than Regina had been expecting. New students in Storybrook were a rarity, to say the least. Especially ones from so far away.

"Oh yeah, that's true, I've already met him. His name is Robin. Coach made me run a pre-try out for him last night to see if he was good enough to try out for the football team," David added, shrugging as though the gossip was old news.

"I wasn't even done! Apparently, he got kicked out of his old school in England for stealing," Emma said loudly, attempting to regain her friends' attention. This certainly raised Regina's eyebrows. She couldn't imagine Cora was particularly pleased to be housing a criminal in her high school…

"Sounds like the most exciting new person to come to this town in awhile," Gold remarked slyly, speaking for the first time this morning. Everyone laughed at that, Gold _would_ be interested in becoming friends with a thief.

"Wait, are you sure about that, Emma? He seemed like a really nice guy when I met him yesterday," David protested, shaking his head doubtfully. How typical of David to assume that someone who stole something once surely had horrible moral character and couldn't possibly be cool.

"Just because he stole something one time doesn't mean he's a terrible person, David, I'm sure he _is_ a really nice guy," Emma remarked, laughing and rolling her eyes.

"Either way, it'll be so exciting to meet someone new!" Mary Margaret piped up, before any sort of argument between Emma and David could spark. Ah, Snow. Always the conflict killer.

Regina didn't have much to comment on the alleged British newcomer, and was relieved when Granny delivered everyone's food orders, spurring a subject change.

Regina had been dreading this day of chemistry class all week. The beginning of the second week of school, according to their teacher, marked the time when the students would begin participating in lab work. Ordinarily, Regina would have been thrilled to not be forced to endure a boring lecture and actually get to do something during class, but lab work also required a lab partner. And, as this was chemistry II, most of the students had already paired up with their partner from the previous year. Regina's lab partner had been Daniel. .

"Alright, everyone, find your partners and take a seat at one of the lab tables in the back of the room!" Mr. Archibald announced loudly to his very talkative first period class. Regina felt a heat of embarrassment rise to her cheeks, as she knew she did not have a partner. She began the slow and awkward trudge to Mr. Archibald's desk to inform him of this.

"Mr. Archibald-" Regina started off hesitantly as she approached his desk. He looked up at her immediately, and it didn't take him long to figure out why she was addressing him. It wasn't like there was a single person at Storybrook High who didn't know that Daniel was no longer at school.

"Right, Ms. Mills, I forgot. I apologize," he said quickly and very awkwardly. Regina willed the flush in her cheeks to disappear. Maybe if she acted like it wasn't awkward, it wouldn't be?

"It's honestly fine, I don't mind working alone," she told him passively, seeing as even if she did mind working alone, there wasn't much she could do about it. She hated how conspicuous and weird she would look working by herself, but she also truly wouldn't mind not having to make small talk with someone new. To her confusion, Mr. Archibald shook his head.

"Actually, that won't be necessary, because-Ah, yes, Mr. Locksley, welcome!"

Regina's head immediately whipped over to the open classroom door to see who Mr. Archibald was greeting, although part of her already knew who it would be based on the unfamiliar last name.

A tall, sandy blonde-haired boy with piercing blue eyes, who Regina could only assume was Robin Locksley, stood in the entrance to the classroom. He was dressed in dark wash jeans, dark grey Vans and a forest green button down. All of his clothing showed off his almost unfairly attractive body. Despite the fact that he wasn't offering anything even remotely resembling a smile, Regina couldn't help but notice the warmth and kindness his deep blue eyes seemed to exude. Contrary to majority of teenage boys, he actually was sort of rocking some dirty blonde scruffy facial hair (Regina wondered how long Cora would allow that to continue…) He stood aloof and disinterested, his hands casually stuffed in his pockets.

When Emma had mentioned him earlier this morning, the last thing Regina had expected was that she would be _attracted_ to him. Regina honestly hadn't been able to picture herself being attracted to anyone ever again, after Daniel. But alas, here she was, _very_ attracted to Robin Locksley. And she absolutely hated it. It made her feel exposed, and vulnerable, as though Robin could hear her thoughts from across the room. It made her hate him already. How dare he just waltz into her class, her school, her _country,_ and make her feel this way?

"Mr. Locksley, you're just in time!" Mr. Archibald exclaimed enthusiastically, probably ecstatic to have so easily diffused the awkward conversation he was having with Regina.

Every muscle in Regina's body tensed as Robin made his way over to Mr. Archibald's desk. His proximity to her made her anxious and uncomfortable, and he hadn't even spoken yet… Regina rapidly tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with her.

"Regina, I trust you've met Robin Locksley already?" Mr. Archibald offered, glancing back and forth between the two students. Robin turned his attention to Regina for the first time, and she could have sworn her heart rate doubled as she felt him taking her in. She wondered what he was thinking. _Get yourself together, Regina!_

"Robin Locksley," Robin said, holding out his hand. Regina was even more caught off guard by his light, and rather pleasant, english accent. She was hesitant to shake his hand, she couldn't imagine physical contact would help her sudden entrancement very much.

She ignored her own thoughts, and shook it anyways.

"Regina Mills," Regina responded tightly, quickly retracting her hand from Robin's. She looked away from him and back at Mr. Archibald. Looking at him was just making it worse.

"It seems that you two are going to be lab partners for the year. So go ahead and grab a table in the back," Mr. Archibald instructed quickly, seemingly eager to get the two students away from his desk.

"After you, Milady," Robin said casually, stepping back as to allow Regina passage between the desk to the back of the classroom. She detested the way the sound of his voice made her so impossibly nervous and on edge.

"So the thief has manners, I see," Regina heard herself remark snidely. She was momentarily surprised with herself for her own rudeness, as Robin had done nothing to deserve it yet. But at the same time, she had come to expect this behavior from herself. Regina had never done well in awkward situations, when she felt uncomfortable with someone, her first instinct was always to put distance between them with sarcasm and biting remarks. Still, she felt slightly guilty, until Robin's response.

He simply arched an eyebrow, as though questioning Regina's judgement with that comment.

"That bit certainly traveled fast, didn't it?" Robin responded sarcastically, chuckling without even the slightest bit of humor.

Regina didn't offer a response.

"But, while we're tossing labels around… Aren't you technically referred to as the 'Evil Queen'?" Robin asked pointedly, as they arrived at their designated lab table in the back corner of the room. How the hell had he already managed to hear about that nickname…? _David,_ Regina thought bitterly to herself. Touchè.

"I prefer Regina," she snapped. Robin smirked, irritatingly aware that he had successfully parried her initial jab.

"Alright then, _Regina_ , shall we start?" Robin asked, his voice laced lightly with sarcasm, gesturing to the instructions for the lab on the table between them. He spoke much more comfortably than Regina would have preferred. While she was completely uncomfortable and nervous, it seemed that Robin could not be more at ease. How frustrating.

"I really wouldn't have minded working by myself," Regina felt the need to remind him. Robin arched an eyebrow.

"I'm not so sure about that, it could be quite dangerous, I reckon," he said sarcastically, gesturing to the beakers and test tubes of chemicals around. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Just… don't get in my way," she said, sighing. Robin smirked.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Robin ended up proving to be quite a competent lab partner, and, not that Regina would ever admit it, she probably wouldn't have been able to complete the assignment by herself. She also had to admit that she was impressed by his banter. Not many people were able to keep up with her sarcasm and snide comments.

"So, what's in Storybrook?" Regina asked him, as they simultaneously cleaned out their test tubes and beakers from the experiment.

"A job for my father. He's just begun working at the police station," Robin answered her casually, handing Regina one of the beakers to dry off. Regina raised her eyebrows, and half smiled, experiencing the usual rush of contentedness she felt when she had something witty to respond with.

"So he's a cop. That's… _ironic_."

Robin rolled his eyes and chuckled at Regina's second allusion to his stealing.

"You know, if you want to hear the story, all you have to do is ask," Robin remarked, pausing from what he was doing to look over at her.

"This should be interesting," Regina replied, meeting his eye contact confidently and taking another beaker from the sink to dry.

"Actually, it's rather a disappointing story, I've been told. It's been a… trying year, to say the least, and I went through a bit of a… drinking stage. I got too drunk, wandered into a convenient store, and ended up stealing a… stuffed monkey toy for my little brother," Robin explained, unable to fight the grin that rose on his irritatingly handsome face. Regina gaped at him.

"That's it? That could quite possibly be the lamest story of the century," she said, scowling. Robin laughed loudly at that.

"Were you hoping I would have robbed someone at gunpoint, then?"

"I wasn't hoping for anything, thief."

"I assumed that story would've discredited that nickname. I actually consider myself quite a stand up man, I'll have you know," Robin protested, smirking yet again. How tired of that arrogant smirk Regina was becoming…

Regina was just about to respond with some sort of clever and biting insult, when Mallory Dragons walked past their sink.

"Hi, Robin. Didn't realize you were in this class," Mallory said, much more seductively than a classroom setting should have warranted. In fact, it really ought to be illegal the way she was so obviously undressing Robin with her eyes, Regina thought bitterly to herself. Regina was disgusted.

Much to Regina's amusement, Robin's grin disappeared and he suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Um, good to see you too, uh…" Robin trailed off awkwardly, and Regina quickly realized he had no idea who the hell he was talking to.

"Mallory," Regina breathed quietly, slightly angling her face away so Mallory wouldn't notice. She was trying desperately not to laugh.

"Mallory!" Robin quickly tried to recover. Mallory was clearly mortified, as she offered a quick smile and practically sprinted away.

Robin's lightly tanned face was now completely flushed.

"Stand up guy, indeed," Regina couldn't resist quipping, as she began to put the cleaned beakers into their respective cupboards. Robin groaned.

"You seem determined to make a mockery of me, Your Majesty," he retorted, scowling. Regina laughed.

"Not that it matters, seeing as you'll probably forget who I am as soon as this class ends," Regina replied, closing the cupboard, and leaning back agains the sink counter. Robin raised one eyebrow and half smiled. As though he knew some secret that Regina didn't.

"I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you."

Much to Regina's chagrin, chemistry was not the only class she had with Robin Locksley. He also made an appearance in her AP US history class. At least she had her friends in this class, she tried to reason with herself. She probably wouldn't even have to speak to him. Regina had resolved with herself to absolutely avoid Robin at all costs. His arrogance and anxiety causing handsomeness were two things Regina absolutely did not need in her life.

So, of course, it was only fitting that David _had_ to throw a kink in her plans to avoid Robin.

"Robin, hey! Come sit with us!" David called out to Robin, who was absentmindedly walking through the door of the history classroom. David pointed at the empty desk diagonally in front of his, which was also right next to Emma, who was seated in front of David. Regina was sitting behind David, and now much closer to Robin that she wanted. Damn David Nolan and his eternally friendly soul.

"Hey, Robin, I'm Emma," Emma said cheerfully, holding out her hand to Robin. Robin shook it immediately.

"And I'm Killian," Killian quickly interjected, seemingly annoyed at Emma's eager introduction of herself to Robin. Regina rolled her eyes. They were the worst.

"Good to meet both of you," Robin said kindly to both Emma and Killian.

"And this is Gold," David said loudly as to try and attract Gold's attention. Much to Regina's amusement, she noticed that Gold was currently ogling Belle French, the lone freshman who had made the cut to be in AP US history. In fact, Gold's eyes seemed to spend most of their time on Belle French, when she happened to be around. Regina made a mental note to torment him about this later.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Gold said abruptly, tearing his eyes off of Belle and finally dignifying the rest of his friends with some attention. Regina snickered quietly, earning her a glare from Gold.

"Robin," Robin offered tentatively, smiling warmly and offering his hand to Gold.

"Pleasure," Gold said politely. David then turned around to face Regina.

"And this is-"

"Regina," Robin finished, angling himself towards her. Regina raised her eyebrows and smiled her most intimidating smile.

"I'm impressed," she replied. Robin grinned, knowing exactly what she meant. David looked back and forth between the two of them, seemingly bewildered.

"I didn't realize you two had met…" he said. Robin half smiled.

"The evil queen and I have chemistry together, it seems. Lab partner dream team, actually," Robin joked. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Can't thank you enough, David, for sharing that little nickname with the thief, here," Regina snarked. David, Killian, and Emma cracked up.

Before the awkward introductions and greetings could continue, Mrs. Arendelle entered the room to begin class.

Class passed uneventfully, despite Robin Locksley's presence, much to Regina's relief. As the bell rang, Regina and her friends began to make their way to lunch. Robin was walking with them, and Regina was very annoyed at how well he seemed to be fitting in. To an outsider, he would have looked like he belonged in the group just as much as the rest of them. How typical. At least Regina would get to get away from him during lunch. She imagined (desperately hoped) that Robin had already made some of his own friends to sit with.

But, much to Regina's disappointment, as the friends made their way over to their usual secluded, round top table, Robin did not offer his goodbyes and depart. Regina saw Mary Margaret waiting at the table, and she sped ahead of the her friends to go and greet her.

"Is that Robin?!" Mary Margaret gasped as Regina walked up next to her. Regina groaned.

"Yes," Regina offered shortly. Mary Margaret continued to gape at him.

"He's so handsome-"

"Don't _even_ begin-" Regina started to interrupt irritably, as the rest of the group walked up, forcing Regina cut herself off.

"Hey, babe, this is Robin Locksley," David introduced, pressing a light kiss to Mary Margaret's cheek.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Mary Margaret said cheerfully, eagerly extending her hand to shake Robin's.

"I invited him to sit with us," David said excitedly. Of course he did.

"If that's alright with you all," Robin said quickly, glancing around at everyone. Regina couldn't help but notice that his gaze lingered on her for the longest… Regina quickly averted her gaze, determined not to like anything about him. Not even the fact that he was trying to be considerate. Nope, nope, nope.

"Of course!" Emma exclaimed. Killian looked significantly less delighted about this, but nodded his head anyways. Regina doubted this had anything to do with Robin, rather about the fact that Emma seemed so excited.

And, naturally, their three year seating chart left only one open seat. The one next to Regina. Fate seemed to have made Regina the gag of all its jokes today.

"Do you mind?" Robin asked Regina again quietly, as everyone sat down. _Yes, yes I do mind, very,_ ** _very_** _much…_

"Not at all."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Today was not a good day. This day was bordering on tragic, in fact, according to Regina. First and foremost, Regina was very depressed to be experiencing what would have been she and Daniel's five year anniversary. The memory of she and Daniel's painfully awkward but slightly adorable middle school selves making their crushes on one another 'official' on the playground of Storybrook Middle School five years ago seemed to be on loop in Regina's mind. That memory was wonderful, of course. What was not so wonderful were the memories of their last six months together that always followed. The fighting about drugs and distance, catching Daniel in bed with Rose, and the fact that Daniel had now disappeared from Storybrook and from her life. In addition to experiencing rather emotionally traumatic memories of Daniel all day, Cora naturally had chosen today to subject Regina to a rampage of chores and unrealistic demands. Like right now, for instance, forcing Regina to handle the family grocery shopping at seven o'clock on a school night. Perhaps this would have been less horrendous if Cora had permitted Regina to take the car to the store, but alas, apparently 'she could use the exercise'. Indeed, this was not a good day.

Regina was absentmindedly pushing her cart around the store, retrieving the items on Cora's irritatingly extensive grocery list. Fortunately, her task was coming to a close as she was en route to the last item on the list: eggs. Regina selected a carton from the dairy shelf, before giving it a routine inspection for cracks.

However, just as Regina had deemed the carton worthy of purchase and was about to put it into her basket, she was suddenly completely barreled into by a young boy, who was running wildly throughout the store. This unexpected, forceful contact caused her to drop the eggs.

"ROLAND!" Regina suddenly heard a mortified and frustrated sounding voice call out desperately. A very, _very_ familiar voice… Regina quickly looked up, and couldn't be horribly surprised to see a very frazzled looking Robin Locksley jogging down the aisle towards her.

It had been a week since Robin had become her lab partner, and subsequently, the newest member of her friend group. Despite having resolved early on to do everything in her power to keep him and his arrogant, flirtatious, charming, annoyingly attractive self at arm's length, fate seemed hellbent on making this impossible. The inherent difficulty of their chemistry class forced them to interact for extended periods of time during the class and sometimes even outside of it to collaborate on homework. Furthermore, Robin Locksley had somehow managed to completely win the hearts of every single one of her friends over the course of a single week. If a stranger were observing her friend group with no prior knowledge of their connections, Robin wouldn't stand out as new in the slightest. He had somehow completely assimilated himself into potentially the most close-knit and fulfilled friend group to ever exist. Of course he had, how typical of Robin Locksley. It seemed that everywhere Regina looked, there he was, charming his way into her life. She had essentially just given up on trying to avoid him, as it had proven an impossible task.

"I am so sorry, he's so hyper tonight, I don't know what's gotten into him- Regina!" Robin hastily began explaining as he approached, before he clearly realized who he was speaking to. Regina was currently on the ground retrieving the fallen carton, examining it to see if any of the eggs had been broken. She stood as Robin came rushing up. But Robin was not the object of Regina's attention as she switched her gaze to the young boy he was now standing next to.

 _Henry…_ was Regina's initial thought. This was a natural reaction for her, to assume that any young, enthusiastic, brunette boy was Henry. _No, not Henry,_ Regina reminded herself forcefully. Roland. It had to be Roland. Robin's little brother, whom Robin so frequently talked about and so clearly adored. The one he'd stolen the stuffed monkey from the convenient store for (Regina was reasonably convinced there had to be more to that story, but hadn't found the proper time to ask about it). Regina could certainly understand Robin's adoration, Roland was absolutely adorable. With his unkempt, dark curls, bright, wide brown eyes, youthful, chubby cheeks, and an irresistibly goofy grin, how could someone not adore him? Regina's heart burned painfully, as memories of Henry flew through her mind… Today was not a good day.

Robin looked particularly handsome tonight as well, Regina was unable to resist noticing. He was wearing his usual dark jeans and grey vans, which tonight he had paired with a sky blue button down and a dark grey leather jacket. Of course he would look this attractive, when Regina was looking… probably less than her best. She didn't have on a stitch of makeup (which Cora had thoroughly roasted her for, naturally), and her long hair was tied up into a loose ponytail. She was dressed in old black leggings ('are you sure those look alright on your legs, dear?') and a plain white sweater, her beat up white converse tied loosely onto her feet. She had certainly looked better. Today was not a good day.

"Hi, Robin. And you must be Roland," Regina said softly, smiling warmly at him. Roland, who had previously been looking very afraid of being reprimanded for his behavior, beamed at her. That goofy, childish smile, so similar to Henry's, almost knocked the wind out of Regina.

"Yes, this is Roland, who is now _apologizing,_ for being so hyper and running into Ms. Regina," Robin replied pointedly, kneeling down next to Roland. Roland's ashamed stare was fixed firmly on the ground, as he avoided Robin's eyes. Robin quickly glanced up at Regina and shot her a quick grin and a wink. Did he absolutely _have_ to so perfectly handle Roland, really, did he have to?

Regina also decided to kneel down in front of Roland.

"I'm sorry for running into you, Ms. Gina," Roland offered quietly, staring earnestly into Regina's eyes. Regina's heart died a little bit at the way he mispronounced her name. He was so adorable, so sweet, so… _Henry._ No, not Henry, not Henry…

"That's alright, Roland. No harm done," Regina responded, smiling kindly and rumpling Roland's thick mop of curls quickly as she stood again. Roland giggled shyly, and turned to whisper something into Robin's ear. Robin listened intently before letting out a hearty laugh. He stared up at Regina, grinning, as Roland continued whispering.

"Yes, she is. Very, very pretty," Robin said softly, half smiling up at Regina. Regina felt herself flush crimson at this comment, much to her mortification. She absolutely refused to be affected by anything Robin Locksley, or his adorable little brother, had to say about her physical appearance.

"You're very sweet, Roland, thank you. You're pretty handsome yourself," she replied lightly, returning his wide, toothy smile. Roland again whispered something in Robin's ear, and Robin again chuckled.

"Roland would like to know if it would be alright if he gave you a hug, to make up for his hooliganism," Robin explained to Regina, completely bemused. Roland had his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on the balls of his tiny feet, the most adorable shy smile on his face. Regina was unable to resist laughing, her heart completely flattered.

"I think that would be fine," Regina responded gently, kneeling down again so that Roland could eagerly wrap his arms around her neck. The sound of his delighted laughter was almost enough to completely improve Regina's horrible day.

"Alright, Roland, why don't you go find Daddy, yeah?" Robin suggested gently, as Regina pulled out of Roland's embrace. Roland nodded eagerly, before sprinting off down the aisle again to go and locate his father. Robin shook his head with exhausted amusement, and Regina laughed again.

"I can certainly understand why you talk about him so much. He's precious," Regina said, smiling. Robin seemed surprised by her comment. This made sense, as this quite possibly was the nicest and least sarcastic Regina had ever acted towards him.

"Honestly, he feels more like a son than a brother to me sometimes. He's my whole world," Robin admitted, smiling fondly. Regina absolutely hated herself for how charmed by this she was.

"Well, you don't rob a convenient store of its stuffed animals for just anybody," Regina couldn't resist snarking, raising an eyebrow. Robin laughed loudly at that.

"I was wondering how long this facade of gentleness and kindness would last. You certainly charmed the pants off of Roland though, he's completely taken with you," Robin responded, chuckling. Regina couldn't deny that this thoroughly flattered her.

"I'm a charming girl, Robin, if you haven't noticed," Regina said sarcastically, smiling with false innocence.

"Charming, indeed."

"Well, I should probably be going, actually, I have a long walk ahead of me," Regina remarked, sighing, gesturing to her tragically full cart of groceries. She honestly wasn't quite sure how Cora expected her to singlehandedly transport all of the items home in one trip. Cora had honestly probably assumed/hoped that Regina would have to take multiple trips, most likely hoping to passive aggressively force Regina to work out. Cora never had enough to say about Regina's figure and the 'work that it could use'.

"You're planning to walk home with all of those?" Robin asked skeptically, staring doubtfully at Regina's cart.

"Yes, my mother thought I could use the exercise," Regina quoted bitterly. Robin's eyebrows shot into the air.

"How thoughtful of her," he replied sarcastically. Regina was unable to fight the grin that his response brought her.

"Among other things."

"Regardless, I'm sorry to be the one to inform you that there is no possible way you're going to be able to carry all of those yourself in one trip," Robin said simply. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'd come to that conclusion myself, thank you."

"Unless, of course, a noble thief, such as myself, should offer his assistance?" Robin suggested, smirking. He would do this. Of course he was offering to walk her home and help her out when his assistance was certainly not asked for. This was vintage Robin Locksley.

Just as Regina was about to cleanly shut his offer down, an older man, who could only be Robin's father based on the fact that he happened to be carrying Roland, approached the shelf Regina and Robin were conversing by. His resemblance to Robin was undeniable. He had the same clear, disgustingly warm and inviting blue eyes, the same sandy blonde hair (though his seemed to be deteriorating slightly), the same strong jawline, and the same tall stature.

"I should've known you would be flirting with girls rather than helping me with Roland," Robin's father began jokingly, grinning at his son. His english accent was slightly thicker than Robin's, Regina noticed. Robin rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Dad. Um, Dad, this is Regina Mills," Robin responded to him, glancing between him and Regina. For some reason, Regina suddenly felt very, very nervous.

"Tuck Locksley. Lovely to meet you, Regina. I've heard a lot about you," Mr. Locksley said, extending his hand, and winking at Robin. Robin groaned, but Regina couldn't help noticing the slight blush that flooded his cheeks at that comment. She tried very hard not to think about what that blush could mean.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. It's a pleasure, Mr. Locksley," Regina responded easily, offering her most charming smile. She was attempting to capitalize on the chance to make Robin feel uncomfortable. He didn't deserve this, of course, but Regina wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to make Robin feel as anxious and nervous as he seemed to always make her feel.

"Well, I'm sorry to break up this adorable chance encounter, but, sadly, I require Robin's services to help me wrap up this little shopping trip," Mr. Locksley said, grinning at Robin. He was clearly just as charming and likable as his son… How annoying.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to keep him. It was nice to see you, Robin, and so nice to meet you, Mr. Locksley. And you too, Roland," Regina said, smiling warmly at Roland and affectionately rumpling his hair as she had earlier.

"Bye, Gina!" Roland called adorably, beaming widely and enthusiastically waving goodbye to her as she made her escape from the three very charming Locksley men. Roland's farewell gesture warmed her heart, there was no use denying. He reminded her so much of Henry… He was so sweet and bubbly, the resemblance was painful.

As Regina waited in the checkout line, she heaved a sigh of relief at getting away from Robin. She could not for the life of her work out what it was about him that caused her to feel so… _nervous._ Just the sight of him made her heart race, and, while sarcasm and quick wit typically came naturally to her, banter with Robin Locksley always required substantially more effort than with others, as her brain sometimes seemed to just stop working in his company. His infinite charm absolutely infuriated her, and his confidence and his complete lack of intimidation totally confounded her. Essentially, everything about him seemed to force her out of her comfort zone. And it was very aggravating.

With her groceries having been purchased and bagged, Regina paused at the door to devise a plan on getting all of her items back home.

"Robin, surely you weren't planning to let Regina carry all of those bags outside all by herself?" Regina suddenly heard Tuck Locksley remark from behind her. Much to her chagrin, Regina turned around to see all three of the Locksley's approaching yet again.

"Oh, it's really fine-"

"Actually, Regina informed me that she was planning on walking home with all of them," Robin said pointedly, raising an eyebrow challengingly at Regina. Damn him…

"I won't hear of it. I would offer to drive you, Regina, but it seems Roland here didn't receive his daily nap and is desperately in need of sleep, so I need to get him home. But I have to insist that Robin at least accompany you on your trek," Mr. Locksley said to Regina, smiling kindly at her. He probably thought he was easing her burden by sending Robin to help, but little did he know that he just increased Regina's stress tenfold…

"That really isn't-" Regina began, glancing over at Robin, who also suddenly, and probably for the first time, looked very anxious and uncomfortable himself.

"Robin, did I teach you no manners? Help the girl carry her bags," Mr. Locksley interjected again, glancing at Robin confusedly, seemingly curious as to why Robin remained so firmly rooted in his spot.

"Right. I'll see you at home then, Dad?" Robin said awkwardly, taking three of Regina's bags off of her hands.

"Correct. Have a good walk," Mr. Locksley said conclusively, and walking towards the parking lot with Roland and his own groceries.

Regina immediately turned to Robin.

"You really don't have to do this, I'm perfectly capable of walking home myself," Regina informed him. Robin rolled his eyes.

"Well, my ride just disappeared, so I see no good reason why I shouldn't accompany you now," he retorted, smirking. Clearly, all traces of his momentary awkwardness had dissipated.

Sadly, it only took Regina about thirty seconds of walking to realize that Robin's help was truly going to prove crucial, as she was already feeling the weight of the three bags she was carrying, and couldn't imagine trying to hold all six. However, the walk had been silent thus far, apart from the light, autumn breeze in the air and the quiet chirping of the crickets in the background.

"So… am I really expected to believe that you were expelled from your school in England for stealing a stuffed monkey from a convenient store?" Regina finally broke the silence. Although she was reasonably sure that this question would make Robin very irritated and uncomfortable, she couldn't deny that she truly was curious. As much as it pained her to admit it, in her week of knowing Robin, she couldn't help but notice that he really did appear to be a 'stand up guy'. At the very least, certainly not a thief. And despite his alleged party phase that he mentioned, she couldn't imagine he had done anything that truly warranted his being kicked out of his school in England. Damn it, _why_ was she so curious about him?

Much to her surprise, however, Robin just wholeheartedly laughed in response to her question.

"Is that really what you've heard?" he asked, bemused, in between his chuckles. Regina scowled at him.

"Something like that."  
"So, let me get this straight, this whole time that we've known each other, you thought that I was expelled from my school in England… for stealing a stuffed monkey from a convenient store? Does that even make sense?" Robin scoffed, still cracking himself up. Regina did not much enjoy being scoffed at.

"Not really, which is why I'm asking you about it now," Regina snapped, rolling her eyes. Robin's laughed a bit more, before allowing a silence to fall back over them. As they continued walking down the dimly lit street, Regina briefly glanced over at him to try and decipher the reason for his sudden silence. If she wasn't mistaken, Robin suddenly looked a bit melancholy.

"Contrary to the rumor you apparently heard, I was not kicked out of my school in England. I left," he finally said simply. Regina's mind immediately concocted about a thousand questions. She didn't initially intend to ask any of them, but her mouth clearly had other plans.

"Care to share?" she asked casually. Robin again was silent for a moment, before he abruptly stopped walking. Regina, confused, paused as well.

"Do you really want to hear about it?" he asked her, sighing. Regina didn't think she'd ever seen Robin look so serious.

"Only if you really want to tell me," she found herself responding gently, more compassionately than she'd expected from herself. It was suddenly very obvious that there was a less than… happy reason that Robin had wound up in Storybrook. And she really hated herself for how much she wanted to know what it was.

"It just… everything just sort of fell apart last year, quite frankly. My mother passed away during my freshman year, and, obviously, that wasn't too easy on Roland, my father, and I…" Robin began, trailing off after a moment. Regina could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a second. And once it started again, all it could do was ache empathetically for Robin. And it ached for herself, as memories of the day she found out her father and Henry had been killed flew through her mind, and all the nights she'd spent crying her eyes out for them, and wondering what she could've done to deserve something so horrible. How alone she'd felt… How empty.

"I… Robin, I'm so sorry."

"Didn't it strike you as odd to see three eligible bachelors handling all the grocery shopping?" Robin quipped lightly, forcing a smile. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but she really did not want him to think that he was required to do so.

"I guess I didn't think anything of it. Does Roland… remember?" Regina asked hesitantly, praying that Robin didn't think she was being insensitive, or prying. He shrugged his shoulders and made a face indicating a torn response.

"Somewhat. More than I would like him to. He was only three when it happened, but for the first few months he asked for her all the time. And even now, he sometimes asks why he doesn't have a mother, when all of his friends do. It's not really an easy thing to explain, to be perfectly honest," Robin responded, sighing and shaking his head. Regina hated how obvious it was how much Robin cared for Roland. Why did he have to be so… Ugh.

"I can imagine," Regina said softly. Robin didn't offer a response, so she felt the need to continue. "So, what exactly made you decide to leave England? If you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, things sort of just went downhill after my mother passed… I didn't handle it well, to say the least. I started drinking too much and letting my grades fall, and I neglected my responsibilities. And my girlfriend at the time, Marian, she couldn't handle me anymore, and broke up with me," Robin answered her somberly. What. The. Hell. Regina had to resist allowing her jaw to fall open at Robin's story. How had he possibly gone through something so similar to what she had? Scratch that, _Of course,_ he had. It was only fitting at this point for Robin to be potentially the only person who could truly understand Regina. Truly, _truly_ understand her. Of course that person was Robin Locksley, of course it was.

"That wasn't really very easy either, and finally my father had just had enough, as he put it. Enough of all the sadness, and all the pain. He was offered a job here in Storybrook, and told me he was taking it. He said we just… needed a change," Robin continued, after a moment of silence. Regina nodded slowly.

"How did you feel about that? How do you feel about it now?" she heard herself ask. Good lord, she was so embarrassing, why was she prying into his emotions so much?

Nevertheless, Robin didn't really seem to mind her questions nearly as much as she minded them.

"At first I was reluctant, I'm sure you can imagine. It's kind of a big move," Robin responded, chuckling.

"Slightly far away, yes," Regina replied, half smiling.

"But no, I actually think this may be the best thing my father has ever done for us. It's been… amazing to be away from all of that history, to be perfectly honest," Robin answered her, smiling shortly.

"I can really relate to that," Regina muttered honestly, recalling all the million times in the past two years when all she'd wanted to do was run away and never look back.

Robin arched an eyebrow at her, seemingly picking up on the untold undertones to her comment.

"Well, seeing as I've just told you practically my whole life story, it seems only fair that you reveal a bit of yours as well," Robin said pointedly, smirking. He had a point with that, despite how much Regina did not relish the thought of being emotionally vulnerable with Robin Locksley.

"It's honestly going to sound like I'm copying you," Regina said reluctantly. Robin cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, my father and my little brother were both killed in a car accident," Regina explained finally, after a long moment of perplexity. The way Robin's eyebrows knit together in sheer sadness for her made Regina's heart ache even more. Being emotional with strangers certainly had never been Regina's area of expertise, but she couldn't deny that an aggravatingly large part of her really did desire to tell Robin about her past.

Robin, who was clearly very moved by this piece of information, set the three bags of groceries that he was carrying down on the sidewalk next to where they'd stopped walking. He then proceeded to sit down the curb, and gestured for Regina to join him. This really was not supposed to be how this grocery store trip ended up. In a therapy session with Robin Locksley.

"If I lost Roland… I don't think I would ever be able to get out of bed again," Robin said, his answer surprising her. She honestly somewhat appreciated that he didn't offer a sickly sweet condolence, or something of that nature.

"Henry was… my Roland. He was my favorite person in the whole world," she said quietly, as overwhelmingly painful memories of Henry swarmed her mind. Of his shaggy brown hair constantly falling into his innocent and loving brown eyes. Of the way he'd followed Regina everywhere, never wanting to let go of her hand. Of him begging her to read him another story before she tucked him in for bed. Of her literally turning down her friends' invitations to hang out so that she could spend time with Henry, and the fact that her friends were all so used to this happening. Of she and Daniel taking Henry out for ice cream, or to the park… Of the way that Henry had never failed to bring her joy, even in her darkest moments. Not to mention her father. All the times she'd sat in his study and spilled the contents of her heart to him. All the times he'd defended her from Cora. All the things he'd worked so hard to give to her, all the time he'd made to spend with her. The fact that he'd brought Henry into her life…

She didn't really cry about the death of her father and Henry anymore. Which might be odd, considering how much pain losing them had caused her. It was almost like the loss was… too great for tears, like crying about it didn't properly embody how it felt. Losing them didn't just make her sad. It had made her empty, lonely, meaningless… And to be honest, she still hadn't gotten it all back, she was still regaining some of that meaning she'd lost. Regina had long since come to terms with the fact that she may never get all of it back. But having her friends certainly gave her hope. And Daniel…

"I can't even fathom…" Robin trailed off in response, jolting Regina back into reality. If someone had told her that she would spend her Wednesday evening having an emotional heart to heart with Robin Locksley, Regina would have laughed them out of the room. Yet, here she was, having an emotional heart to heart with Robin Locksley on a Wednesday evening. And a very… meaningful heart to heart, at that.

"As you mentioned, naturally, that's not really an easy thing to handle and I also didn't respond well. I didn't really go your direction with the partying, but I just… I isolated myself, much more than I should have, when what I really needed was my friends. I shut everyone out. Especially Daniel," Regina elaborated, sighing again. She didn't typically like to admit any fault in what had ended her relationship with Daniel, but in this very honest moment that she was having with Robin, she didn't feel the need to deny the fact that she really had shut Daniel out of her life. And that maybe he'd really had a reason for abandoning her. She didn't believe it was a justified reason, but a reason, nonetheless.

"And I assume Daniel was your…-"

"Significant other, yes."

"But not anymore, I take it?"

"Let's just say he didn't respond kindly to being shut out. I guess in an effort to get my attention, he fell in with the wrong crowd, let his grades tank, lost his place on the football team, the whole nine yards. And at the end of last year I caught him in bed with someone else at a party," Regina explained in a forced monotone, doing what she could not to betray the sheer emotional torment these memories brought her.

Robin's warm blue eyes suddenly darkened, and he gaped at Regina, like what she'd said was the worst thing he'd ever heard in his whole life.

"Point him to me at school tomorrow. I'd be happy to have more than a conversation," he said darkly, truly taking Regina by surprise. She'd perhaps anticipated a comment about Daniel being a 'greasy bastard' (Killian), or a 'moronic son of a bitch' (Gold), but she hadn't expected Robin to be… defensive of her. And why, _why,_ was it so endearing to her?

Regina rose from her seat on the curb at that, and Robin followed.

"Perhaps I would, except, he doesn't go to our school anymore," Regina responded, as she bent down to retrieve her three bags of groceries. Robin again followed her lead. They began walking again, neither addressing the end of their little sidewalk break.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Killian, Gold and David scared him enough to leave school," Robin responded, laughing. Regina couldn't help but join him in laughter, because she knew so well that if she'd let them, her guy friends would have absolutely destroyed Daniel for what he did to her.

"My mother, actually. She didn't know anything about what happened, but what she did know was that Daniel was using drugs on school campus. So she expelled him," Regina said matter of factly. Robin's eyebrows shot up almost halfway up his forehead.

"You're certainly not a stranger to drama, are you?"

"It gets better. Guess who told her Daniel was doing drugs at school?" Regina questioned darkly, half smiling.

"Oh no…"

"Mary Margaret."

"Why on Earth would she do that? She would have been the last person I'd have guessed would betray you like that…" Robin asked, seemingly bewildered. Regina shook her head at that.

"I wouldn't call it a betrayal so much as… Overstepping a boundary. She didn't do it for herself, she did it for me. I wasn't handling the situation with him well, and she could see what I clearly couldn't. That he was not someone I should have in my life anymore, but that I wasn't strong enough to stay away from him. So she made the decision for me, and told my mother about the drugs," Regina explained, surprising even herself at how much she'd clearly forgiven Mary Margaret over the course of the week.

"I can understand that. Still, I can't imagine that was easy for you," Robin responded, shaking his head. Regina laughed ironically at that understatement.

"Believe me, it wasn't. I was a social recluse this entire summer," Regina said, half smiling. Robin chuckled at that.

Conveniently, Regina and Robin had just reached Regina's house. Regina glanced at the oversized, spacious white house, sprawling across the lawn. Unlike in many other places, being the principle of the only high school in town was fairly lucrative, and Cora certainly had an appreciation for the finer things in life. Not to mention, Regina's father's living as an accountant had certainly been decent as well, and contributed to the purchasing of their home. Of course, Regina was grateful to live in such a nice house, but part of her had always felt like it was… too much. Too big, too pretentious. It often didn't feel so much like home to her, as it did like a prison. A prison where Cora was the very difficult warden, and Zelena was the very unpleasant bunkmate.

"This is me," Regina said to Robin, gesturing to her house. She was immediately grateful that Robin didn't comment on its size or appearance. Such comments made her very uncomfortable.

"Well, who would've thought something as innocent as walking a girl and her groceries home would turn into… well, this?" Robin mused, smirking. Regina couldn't help but chuckle at that, as she had entertained the same thought several times already.

"Slow down there, thief. I wouldn't want you thinking you and I are friends or something now," Regina replied, shooting him a sarcastic half smile and a wink.

"I don't know about friends, but I'd say that deep down you actually wanted to talk about this," Robin responded, half playing along with her sarcasm and half not. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think you know me so well?"

"Well, for one thing, I'd probably be charred to a crisp right now if you didn't," Robin replied matter of factly, also raising an eyebrow. Regina couldn't help but smirk at that. At least he had some appreciation for her… Evil Queen status.

"True," she admitted, allowing a small laugh to escape. Robin laughed quietly with her, but she couldn't help but notice the way he was suddenly looking at her. The way his deep blue eyes were so… fixated on her. Like he was trying to read more from her, like he wanted more than what she'd divulged. This look frightened her. But it also… excited her. Made her heart race, and a shiver run down her back. Made her desperately hope he would like what he read. It made her feel alive. NO, no, no…

"Well, I'll let you get home, then," Robin said gently, slightly decreasing the intensity of his stare. Regina nodded slowly.

"Thank you, for your help. Who would have thought a thief had such honor?" Regina couldn't resist joking as they reached Regina's front porch. Robin handed her the three bags of groceries he'd been carrying. He chuckled.

"And who would've thought an evil queen had such a compassionate side?" he challenged, smirking. Regina grinned, and looked away, biting her lip a little bit. Her heart was racing, much to her absolute disgust.

"Goodnight, Robin," Regina said, as she motioned to open her front door. Robin stared at her for a long moment, perhaps longer than necessary.

"Goodnight, Regina," he said softly, before he turned away and disappeared down the dim streets.

And as much as she wished that it wasn't, and as hard as she tried to fight it… that lingering stare Robin had given her before he'd walked away was the last thing Regina thought of before she fell asleep that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"And you, Regina, tell me about your week?" Cora said to Regina, her voice calm and collected as always. The Mills women were currently engaged in their traditional, Thursday night dinner. Regina honestly viewed this time as more of a chance for Cora to interrogate she and Zelena about their personal lives, rather than a bonding, family dinner. Zelena, however, seemed to enjoy being interrogated and often took up a majority of the conversation providing a play-by-play report of the mundane events of her week. Regina had just finished listening to an enthralling tale of how Haden Underson had vaguely alluded to the fact that he might ask Zelena to the homecoming dance that was about three weeks away. It was very important that Zelena should mention this, of course, because it gave Cora a perfect segue into passive aggressively pointing out that Regina was yet to be asked.

"What would you like to know?" Regina responded politely, flashing a respectful smile in her mother's direction. Cora was seated at the head of the very oversized dining table, with Regina on her left and Zelena on her right.

"Well, actually, I would be very interested in hearing about the… disappointing score you received on your first AP US history test," Cora remarked sourly, thoughtfully taking a sip from her glass of red wine. A sharp pang of irritation shot through Regina's body, as she recalled the 'very disappointing' score of 92% she had received on her AP US history test. Regina uncomfortably rearranged some of the remaining brussels sprouts on her plate with her fork.

"Clearly, I didn't study hard enough, I'll make sure to correct that before the next exam," Regina replied, bearing such a painfully fake smile that she thought her face might crack. This was Regina's go to response anytime that Cora was disappointed with a grade she received. Besides, her score was actually a result of the fact that she just hadn't felt much like studying that night and decided to wing it on the test. She thought it had gone pretty well, to be perfectly honest.

"See that you do. And, tell me, how are you liking your chemistry class? Mr. Archibald mentioned in passing to me that you were performing quite well," Cora commented, doing very little to mask the surprise in her voice that Regina could possibly be doing well at something.

As hard as Regina had tried to resist it, chemistry honestly had become one of her favorite class periods. It turned out that she and Robin made quite the team in deciphering and completing the assigned labs, and were significantly outperforming the other students in the class. Let the record show, however, that Regina's liking of chemistry class had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had also come to greatly relish Robin Locksley's company. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she might secretly look forward to their very evenly matched banters, or the fact that she was intrigued by the way he lacked any sort of fear of her sarcasm and biting wit, or the fact that she may or may not enjoy… appreciating his appearance.

"I'm enjoying it very much, thank you for asking," Regina answered Cora's question sweetly. Cora nodded, seemingly pleased by this response.

"Mr. Archibald also says that you and Robin Locksley have stricken quite the lab partnership," Cora commented pointedly, giving Regina a very deliberate glance. Regina, who had just taken a sip of her water, sputtered and spit it back into her cup. Cora arched an eyebrow in disgust and Zelena snickered. Regina could only imagine her mother's obvious disapproval had to do with Robin's status as an alleged thief.

"Oh, well yes-"

"And I've also noticed that he's been spending a considerable amount of time with Mr. Jones, Mr. Gold and Mr. Nolan," Cora continued, very clearly expressing her distaste. Wasn't this the truth. If there was any doubt about Robin's acceptance into Regina's friend group before, there certainly wasn't now. He was officially the newly appointed, seventh member of their group. And Regina would be lying if she said that she didn't consider him a friend at this point as well, as much as she had initially tried not to.

"Yes, he's very-"

"I trust that you know better than to become involved with a delinquent," Cora completely steamrolled over Regina. Naturally, this comment earned a very noticeable and very rude chuckle from Zelena's side of the table. How typical. Furthermore, Cora's brusque comments and unfounded judgement towards Robin made Regina far angrier than they should have. It wasn't as though Cora insulting one of Regina's friends was a new experience. Cora viciously disapproved of both Emma and Killian. Emma for her spunk and lack of conformity, and the fact that she didn't come from a traditional home. Emma had been adopted by her aunt, Ingrid, when she was an infant, and had lived happily with her ever since. Killian, similarly, for his rambunctious behavior and for the fact that he was raised by his older brother, Liam, when his father walked out on them when Killian was in elementary school. The only reason Cora approved of Gold was because his family had money, and it would just be very difficult in general for someone to not approve of Mary Margaret or David

"He's really very nice, mother," Regina got out through gritted teeth, forcing a polite smile. Cora arched an eyebrow in contention.

"Regardless, I expect that you will maintain the proper… boundaries in your relationship," Cora said coolly, leaving precious little room for argument. Not that Regina would have argued. Sure, she knew that Robin certainly didn't deserve such criticism and harsh judgement, but she also considered that Robin Locksley did not and would never hold an important enough place in her life to even begin to try and correct Cora about his past. Cora's negative opinion about Robin shouldn't matter to Regina in the slightest.

"Of course, mother."

Regina managed to glide through the rest of the horrific Thursday night dinner with only minimal conflict (a slight incident where Zelena made a backhanded comment about Snow and David's romantic displays of affection, and Regina responded with a roast about Zelena having no one to engage in romance with, which earned her a stern scolding from Cora). She had now been enlisted to help clear and wash the dishes with Cora, while Zelena had been permitted to go upstairs and tend to her 'very heavy homework load'. It's not as though Regina was taking seven AP classes and had any homework herself. No, that would be far too reasonable.

"You didn't eat very much, dear," Cora commented to Regina abstractly, as Regina was scraping the remainder of the food on her plate into the trashcan. This was true, Regina hadn't been very hungry for dinner, as Cora now insisted upon eating all meals at or before six o'clock. Cora had recently read in a health study that eating before six improved metabolism and prevented weight gain. It also happened to be the time of the evening that nursing homes typically chose to feed their tenants, but whatever.

"Oh, I wasn't-"

"Just as well, probably. I've noticed that your jawline is looking a bit less pronounced lately. The high school has a fitness center, you know," Cora mentioned easily, as she casually began loading the dishwasher. Regina's body tensed. This was just cruel and unnecessary, but vintage Cora, nonetheless. Besides, Regina knew there had been absolutely no change in her weight since school had started… right? Regina despised Cora for making her so uncomfortable in her own skin. The last thing that Regina ever wanted to be was insecure, but she knew that Cora had made her to be so.

Regina didn't offer a response to that very passive aggressive comment, and helped Cora clean up the kitchen in silence. Just as she was finally making her escape out of the dining room and beginning the trek up the stairs to her room, her cellphone rang from her back pocket. Regina quickly darted into the nearest bathroom and shut the door, as to avoid being scolded for talking on the phone on a school night.

Regina glanced at the caller ID and was not entirely surprised to see that the caller was Robin. It had become somewhat commonplace to occasionally discuss chemistry homework with Robin on school nights. Of course, Regina hated these calls. Totally dreaded them, the absolute worst.

"Hello?"

"Regina, it's Robin," Robin Locksley's irritatingly warm, accented voice answered her greeting. Regina did notice, however, that he sounded slightly stressed out.

"Yes, I can see that. Do they not have caller ID in England?" Regina couldn't resist quipping in response. Robin chucked on the other end of the phone.

"I'm a bit of a barbarian to modern technology, forgive me. I'm actually calling… I'm calling to ask you for a bit of a… favor," Robin began hesitantly, clearly very nervous. Well, this was unorthodox. Robin had never asked Regina for anything before. Not to mention the fact that anxiety and nervousness seemed to be totally foreign emotions to Robin Locksley, for the most part. This was evidenced by the near constant smile on his face and the confident sass he always seemed to be giving Regina.

"And what would that be, thief?"

"Regina, I feel absolutely horrible about this, and I truly wouldn't ask you if I thought I had any other option, but-" Robin babbled nervously. Regina hated herself for how much his uneasiness made her smile, and the fact that she knew that no matter what he asked, she was probably going to do it.

"Robin, spit it out."

"It's Roland. I was wondering if there was any possible way that you could babysit him tonight," Robin finally said. Regina was glad he was asking this question over the phone, because there was no way she could have successfully hidden her shock at his request in person. Not that she wasn't flattered. Honestly, she doubted babysitting Roland was a very good idea for her mental sanity, due to his almost uncanny resemblance to Henry, but she couldn't deny that the idea was very inviting to her. Roland was absolutely adorable.

"You want me to babysit Roland?" Regina heard herself confirming unsurely. Robin sighed on the other end of the phone.

"I know that it's a school night, and I'm sure you're very busy, but my father has to work tonight, and Coach Scarlett called a mandatory football practice tonight to prepare for the game Friday, and Roland was so taken with you last week at the grocery store, I just… I couldn't think of anyone else to call," Robin explained, speaking quickly and very uncomfortably.

"Robin, I-"

"It would only be for an hour and a half or so, and then I'd be home to relieve you. I know that it's a lot to ask, but I'm… I'm desperate, I have to be at practice in 30 minutes," Robin pleaded with her.

Regina knew this was a horrible idea. A truly horrendous one. She knew that spending time with Roland would do nothing good for her mental state about losing Henry. And getting to know Roland would almost be like getting to know Robin better, and that was just… out of the question. Not to mention, entering and experiencing Robin's home, the place where he… lived and existed, would take their friendship to a level she really did not think it ought to reach. They were school friends, and that was all she ever wanted them to be. Indeed, this was a terrible, terrible idea.

"So… will you do it?" Robin asked gently, after a long moment of perplexity. Very, _very_ bad idea…

"I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Convincing Cora to let Regina borrow the car so that she could go 'study pre calculus with Mary Margaret' was no easy task. But after fervently promising that she would make an A on her Pre Cal exam, as well as do the dishes for the remainder of the week, Cora had reluctantly agreed.

Regina followed the directions that Robin had texted her to his house in silence. He didn't live far, maybe ten minutes away. Regina really didn't mind the drive. In fact, she'd always loved driving, but Cora absolutely refused to buy her a car, as 'where else did Regina have to go, besides school, and since Cora worked there, there was never a reason she might need a vehicle'. Naturally.

Robin's house was nice, Regina decided. A well maintained lawn, dark red brick, unassuming and relaxed exterior features. Not large, but certainly not small either. Modest. She parked her mother's Lexus SUV across the street. She stepped out of the car, and shut the door behind her, pulling her jacket tighter against her body at the cool evening air. Maine's September was already bringing colder weather. Regina was currently dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a royal blue draping tank top, and her black, lighter leather jacket. Cora had been quick to comment, of course, that if Regina would just wear a nicer, perhaps heeled shoe, rather than her casual black slip ons, she might not look so 'short and stocky'. Regina would certainly be lost without Cora's motherly tidbits of fashion advice.

Bounding up the steps to Robin's porch, Regina calmly rang the doorbell, after taking a brief second to try and collect herself.

"GINA, Gina! Robin, Gina's here!" Regina suddenly heard a seemingly ecstatic Roland shouting from inside the house. Regina's heart melted, and all of her doubt about accepting this task dissipated. Perhaps it shouldn't have, but how could she not be excited about this?

A few seconds later, Robin opened the door for her. Why did he have to look so… just why? Robin was looking tragically athletic, dressed in black athletic shorts and a Storybrook High Football t-shirt in Storybook's trademark sky blue and white colors. He also had his hands full, with one arm full of a bag containing his football gear, and the other full of a beaming and very fidgety Roland.

"Hello, Regina," Robin said softly, smiling warmly at her. Regina's heart stirred inside of her. This was such a horrible, terrible, horrendous idea…

"Hi, Robin. And hello, Roland!" Regina said excitedly, grinning over at Roland. Roland squirmed out of Robin's arms and absolutely barreled into Regina, giving her an enormous hug. Regina was unable to resist allowing a joyful laugh to escape from her mouth as Roland eagerly threw his arms around her. What she had done to deserve all of this affection, she had no idea, but she really wasn't complaining. As Roland hugged her, Regina made very amused eye contact with Robin, who was gazing at the two of them intently, a very pleased half smile gracing his face.

"Why don't we bring this inside, yeah?" Robin said, chuckling, as Roland showed no signs of releasing Regina. Regina easily managed to unwind herself from Roland, while still taking his hand, and the three of them walked into the house.

It was very… homey. In the best way. Of course it was. Of course Regina would love Robin's house. Regina also noticed that it smelled very heavily of chocolate chip cookies.

"It smells like cookies," Regina couldn't resist pointing out. Robin grinned.

"Yes, well, Roland and I took to the oven today when I got home from school. That might explain some of this energy," Robin mused, smirking as he glanced over at Roland, who was now excitedly bouncing up and down on the couch. Regina chuckled.

"This was probably your plan all along. Saddle me with your kid brother on a school night, and dope him up on sugar," Regina said sarcastically, grinning at Robin. Even though it was clear she was joking, Robin sighed and shook his head.

"Really, Regina, I can't thank you enough for this, I can't believe I asked you to-"

"Robin, I was joking. I really don't mind," Regina interrupted, offering him a rare, kind smile.

"Well, despite the sugar high, he's really a pretty easy kid. He has some math homework that he needs to get done, but he won't be too keen on that if you lead with it, so try and butter him up with a few rounds of Mario Kart first or something," Robin explained quietly so that Roland wouldn't hear, glancing between him and Regina.

"Math really isn't my strong suit, Robin," Regina joked. Robin raised one eyebrow, bemused.

"Somehow I trust that you can handle Roland's kindergarten arithmetic," Robin retorted playfully, lightly shoving Regina's shoulder. The contact made her heart skip a beat. She hated herself.

"I'll do my best. What time do you think you'll be home?" Regina asked.

"Absolutely no later than nine. Is that alright? I'm sure I can convince Coach to let me leave early if necessary-"

"Robin, it's two hours out of my life, it's fine," Regina stopped him easily, laughing at his very obvious discomfort with this.

"You're an absolute life saver. I really have to get going, but I _promise,_ I will make this up to you," Robin said earnestly, smiling at her in a way that caused her heart to just completely stop beating, as she considered all the marvelous ways Robin could make this up to her. _How_ had she let this happen…?

"Roland, I'm leaving. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Be so, so good for Regina, alright?" Robin said gently to Roland, who had wandered back over to stand next to Regina and Robin.

"I will, I will!" Roland solemnly swore. Robin grinned, and pressed a quick kiss to Roland's forehead, before disappearing out the door with one last breathless 'thank you' uttered to Regina.

They were not the same. Roland and Henry, apart from basic youthful behavior, their physical similarities, and a shared, irrational love of Regina, really could not have been more different. Where Henry, although undeniably very sweet, was stubborn beyond belief, Roland was wonderfully open to suggestion and virtually did everything Regina asked of him. Where Henry was more bookish and always interested in learning new things, Roland was far more interested in playing and laughing with Regina. While Henry often reminded Regina of a suspicious but still playful dalmatian or collie or some kind, Roland was more of a goofy, absolutely adorable, loyal golden retriever. But one thing the two certainly did have in common was that they both managed to effortlessly, completely capture Regina's heart.

Regina, after several very heated Mario Kart matches, had just convinced Roland to begin doing his math homework. It was actually a bit sad how evenly matched she and Roland had been in Mario Kart, seeing as Roland was six. Regardless, she was confident she would be able to teach him a thing or two about math, at least.

"So, if two plus two adds up to four… what would four plus two add to be?" Regina asked Roland. They were nestled together on the couch, Roland's math workbook between them. Roland didn't respond for a moment, and looked back at Regina looking a little stuck. It was literally painful how adorable he was.

"Show me your fingers," Regina reminded him gently, smiling. Roland's face lit up as he remembered the trick Regina had just taught him about counting on his fingers. Roland really had no trouble counting, he was really quite smart, but he sometimes got confused by the new vocabulary, such as add or subtract, that he was learning. Roland eagerly counted up six fingers on his hands.

"Six, six!" Roland exclaimed excitedly.

"That's right, you are so smart!" Regina encouraged him, returning his delighted grin. Roland eagerly scribbled down the number six next to the equation in his _very_ neat and tidy little boy handwriting. Regina grinned at the fact that the six was backward, but was confident his teacher would get the idea.

Just as she and Roland were about to move onto the next and final problem of his assignment, Robin walked through the front door. Coach Scarlett clearly had worked the football team hard enough to make Robin feel the need to take a shower before returning home. He had changed from his earlier athletic shorts into some black sweat pants, and some black converse rather than his football cleats. Regina had never seen him look so… casual. She found that she liked it much more than she should.

"Robin!" Roland cried happily, disentangling himself from Regina and sprinting over the door to hug Robin. Robin grinned and easily scooped Roland up into his arms as he ran to him. Regina's heart practically swelled at the sight of it. Literally how had this happened, she had tried so hard not to let Robin anywhere near her heart, yet here he was, causing it to skip beats, swell, race, all sorts of things it shouldn't be doing… How very, very typical of Robin; it sometimes felt like he existed for the sole purpose of contradicting Regina's every move, thought, and desire.

"Hey there, little mate. How has your evening been?" Robin responded, glancing between Roland and Regina with his normal confident smile. Regina was unable to fight her grin, as she let Roland answer.

"Goooooddd. Gina let me play Mario Kart before my homework, I beat her three whole times!" Roland informed Robin proudly. Robin raised his eyebrows and he smirked at Regina.

"Is that so?"

Regina rolled her eyes, standing up from the couch.

"To be fair, I am a queen and a bit more refined than to beat six year olds at Mario Kart," Regina snarked, grinning and winking at Roland. This comment earned a laugh from Robin, while most of the sarcasm went over Roland's head.

"I see. So, is Regina helping you with your math homework?" Robin asked Roland. Roland nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, we are almost done!" he told Robin, squirming as to be let down. Robin set him back on the ground and he dashed back over to Regina.

"One more left," Roland said, to both Regina and Robin, who had now joined them on the couch, on the other side of Roland.

"Give it your best go," Robin said to Roland, smiling warmly. Roland's eyes scanned the equation and Regina and Robin both watched, bemused, as he tried to make sense of subtracting three from seven.

"Gina taught me about fingers," Roland suddenly told Robin. Robin knit his eyebrows together confusedly, and glanced over at Regina, clearly looking for an explanation.

"Why don't you show Robin?" Regina said to Roland gently. Roland nodded excitedly, and counted out seven of his fingers.

"Good, and if you take away three of them?" Regina softly encouraged. Roland slowly curled down three of his fingers, and counted the remaining ones.

"Four, there are four!" Roland told Regina and Robin both, smiling at his accomplishment.

"Brilliant," Robin confirmed, smiling at Roland encouragingly, and then at Regina, bemused.

"Seems you might be living with a mathematician, Robin," Regina joked, grinning back. Roland laughed happily at this compliment.

"That may be so, but, unfortunately, even mathematicians have to sleep sometimes. It's past your bedtime, little mate," Robin told Roland, raising an eyebrow playfully. Roland was clearly disappointed by this news.

"But I want to stay with you and Gina," he replied sadly. Robin smiled at him.

"And we want you to stay with us too, but we also don't want you to be tired tomorrow during school," Robin said, teasingly poking Roland's side. Roland giggled, in spite of himself.

"Will I get to see Gina again soon?" Roland asked Robin, looking at him and then back over at Regina, who was unable to resist smiling widely. Robin glanced at Regina, as though waiting for confirmation on that last request.

"Yes you will, Roland," Regina answered him softly, smiling warmly. Regina really didn't know what it was about Henry, and now Roland, that brought out such a loving and compassionate side of her. Regina was pretty much known exclusively for being sarcastic, occasionally up tight, dry, and sassy. Soft and warm were not adjectives typically attributed to Regina's character, but something about little kids brought these qualities out in her…

"That's settled then, so off to bed we go," Robin said, scooping Roland off of the couch and onto his back in one swift motion. Regina rose from the couch as she watched Robin and Roland disappear up the stairs.

Regina wasn't really sure how she felt about standing, alone, in the middle of Robin Locksley's house. It felt less odd and wrong when she'd been with Roland, because she'd had a purpose for being there. But now her job was complete and she had no reason to linger. But… obviously, it would be rude to leave without saying goodbye to Robin. So alas, she lingered.

Fortunately, it didn't take Robin long to prepare and tuck Roland into bed, and returned in probably just under five minutes. Regina, who had returned to her seat on the couch while she waited, rose again at his return.

"Everything good?" she asked calmly, smiling. Robin nudged his head to the side towards the kitchen, and he began walking towards it. Regina followed him uncertainly.

"Quite. Roland is completely taken with you," Robin responded, smiling at her with that same look from earlier, the one that she couldn't imagine she could ever deserve. He opened the refrigerator and considered its contents, before electing to just take out a bottle of water.

"I really have no idea what I could have done to deserve all of his affection," Regina commented, bemused. Robin cocked his head to the side, and shook his head.

"Can I get you something?" he asked, referring to his bottle of water. Regina shook her head. "And, don't discredit yourself. Clearly you have the touch of a mother," Robin continued gently, crossing the room to where she was standing. His compliment meant much more to her than it probably should have.

"Well, I guess I had practice," Regina heard herself respond quietly, much more sentimentally than she wanted to. She was quite sure that she had reached her quota of emotional moments with Robin Locksley for the week.

Robin's eyes softened and he stared at her earnestly. He clearly understood that she was thinking of Henry.

"We all get a second chance, Regina. You just have to open your eyes and see it," Robin said softly, gazing at her intently. His response was rather cryptic, Regina decided, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Speaking of which, Roland really will try and see you again, I hope that you're alright with that," Robin continued, chuckling, before Regina had to come up with a response to his first comment. This was probably a good thing, because she wasn't really sure what she would have said.

"I am," Regina confirmed, smiling at Robin. She leaned back against one of the cupboards on the wall. Robin suddenly smirked. Regina cocked her head to the side confusedly, awaiting an explanation for this uncalled for expression.

"You know… I've heard several stories about the 'fearsome' Evil Queen of Storybrook High School… But from this angle, the evil moniker seems like a bit of an overstatement," Robin began, grinning, as he crossed the kitchen to where Regina was leaning back against the cupboard. Robin really seemed to enjoy this Evil Queen joke. To be fair, Regina certainly enjoyed referring to Robin as a thief. Clearly, the ridiculousness of both titles was fodder for good banter.

"Bold and audacious, perhaps… But not evil," Robin continued ironically, raising his eyebrows, that same confident smirk resting on his annoyingly handsome features. Regina was unable to fight the half smile that tugged at her mouth.

"Well, what can I say, the name served me well in elementary school. I found fear to be quite an effective method in ruling the social scene," Regina replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Robin continued to smile smugly, and Regina returned his expression. However, hers disappeared as she noticed the fact that Robin's proximity to her was increasing at a rate much quicker than she should have been permitting.

He took a few more pointed steps towards her, never breaking their eye contact, and paused briefly in front of her so that there was no more than two inches of space between their bodies. She would've sworn that she could almost feel the warmth radiating from his body. And for a very brief second, Regina truly believed that Robin was going to kiss her. And for an even briefer one, she really did not mind the idea.

But instead (to her relief, of course), Robin just casually reached around her to slightly pull open the cabinet and retrieve a tupperware full of cookies from the cupboard Regina was now basically pressed against. As he very slowly pulled back around to stand in front of her again, Regina exhaled the very deep breath she had apparently been holding in. He was still so close, much too close…

"Cookie?" Robin asked innocently, arching an eyebrow. Regina raised hers in response and rolled her eyes.

"You want to eat a cookie, right now?" she asked, as though the idea were ridiculous. To her it was, because he went to all that trouble to retrieve the tupperware when she so obviously could have just handed it to him. Robin grinned as he finally took steps back from Regina and opened the container, placing it on the counter behind him.

"Well, in the last few days, collectively, we've undergone three very trying chemistry labs, endured a brutal AP US history test, attended the football practice from hell, and successfully taught a very hyper six year old arithmetic. I'd say we've earned it," Robin said, his voice laced with dramatic irony and playfulness. Regina couldn't help but chuckle.

"I see, so you use sugar as an escape from your problems?"

"Always. In fact, I would even venture to say that sugar might be magical."

"I would have to disagree. Sugar is not magical, especially for my waistline," Regina retorted, grinning. Robin rolled his eyes.

"I think your waistline can handle it," he replied, glancing over Regina's body and then back into her eyes. Regina wouldn't be surprised if the look he was giving her caused her to be admitted to Storybrook's residential hospital for cardiac arrest. God, she was pathetic, how could this have happened? Why did this look of his, somewhere between a playful smirk and a look of pure… admiration, perhaps, have such a tremendous effect on her? Why did it make her heart run a marathon, and butterflies have a rave in her stomach? And why did _he_ have to be the one making her feel this way? He had caught the eye of probably every other female in school, and why should Regina even entertain the notion that she held any real interest to him? He probably acted this way with everyone. He could have his pick, and there was no reason he would pick her. And there were even less reasons that she should want him to. Robin Locksley was quite possibly the _last_ thing that Regina needed in her life right now.

"I really should go," Regina murmured. Robin sighed, but responded with his usual calm smile.

"You're right, I've kept you here much longer than I should have. I'll walk you out," he responded, making a movement to walk out of the kitchen and across the living room. Regina followed him, but her mind was reeling at what had just happened in there. She had allowed Robin Locksley to shamelessly flirt with her… and she hadn't exactly been unresponsive. She knew better, she knew this was not something she should allow herself to even consider. And she wanted to make sure that Robin knew it.

"Goodnight, Regina," Robin said softly, pulling open the door for her. He was giving her that look again, _the_ look…

"You know, I could have just handed them to you," Regina said matter of factly. Robin knit his eyebrows together in bewilderment.

"Handed them to me…?"

"The cookies. Goodnight, Robin."

But all Regina could think about on the way home and for the rest of the night was the way that it felt to have her body so achingly close to Robin Locksley's.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Alright, ladies and gents, I'm delighted to announce… it's here," Killian proclaimed confidently as he slid into his usual chair at the lunch table between Emma and David. Emma, Mary Margaret, and David were currently discussing their miserable homework  
loads and how they were possibly going to find a way to complete it before the weekend. Regina, who was caught up in a far more interesting discussion with Robin and Gold about which teachers they would rather assassinate, was just about to sassily  
point out how intensely lame they were, before Killian's arrival.

"Well, this certainly doesn't bode well," Gold responded, rolling his eyes.

"I'm actually slightly afraid right now," said David, laughing. Snow nodded in agreement, grinning. Emma just rolled her eyes at Killian's ridiculous mannerisms.

"The way you just announced that makes me already hate what you're going to say." Regina snarked.

"And I'm just confused," Robin confessed, letting out a laugh. Robin, although he had certainly been accepted into the group, was still trying to get the hang of all of their weird customs and rituals. For example, whenever Killian seemed excited about  
something, it typically was either something completely irrelevant and bizarre, or, more often, was something straight up life endangering.

"You are all bloody unsupportive friends, that's what you are. Maybe I just won't invite any of you to the party I'm hosting this weekend when Liam leaves town," Killian snapped, knowing full well he was going to shut them all up with that bit. It was  
almost amusing how quickly everyone stopped sassing him and leaned forward to discuss the new notion of a party.

Partying in Storybrook was… difficult, to say the very least. The town was simply too small, and no matter how low key someone tried to keep a party, it always ended up drawing the attention of practically every teenager in town and, consequently, was  
shut down by the very bored sheriff's station. So, for the most part, not many people had the courage to try and cheat the system and throw a party. Except for Killian, of course. His parties were practically famous, as his brother Liam's had been  
when he was in high school. A Jones party was certainly something that caught the eye of any teenager with a social life, and certainly something to be eagerly anticipated. Especially the first one of the year, as this one would be.

"That's what I thought," Killian smirked complacently, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest proudly. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Pretty sure we're your only friends, so," Regina snarked, shooting Killian a nasty but playful smile. She'd felt he was having too much fun being in charge and thought she'd take him down a few notches.

"What gave you the impression that you and I were friends…?" Killian retorted, raising his eyebrows. After a moment of holding his challenging stare, Regina laughed and broke the tension. She and Killian had always had pretty exceptional sarcasm matches,  
she liked that he was tough enough to take her insults. David was too sensitive a lot of the time. And if she ever made fun of Gold he would just snap back with a complete roast of her and he wouldn't be joking, so she typically refrained from messing  
with him. And Robin was… well, sadly, Regina found that she never truly wanted to insult him.

"Enough, you two, I want details," Mary Margaret interjected.

"Saturday night. Nine o'clock. Upperclassmen only," Killian answered her, appearing to be having way too much fun with this. Killian had always loved to be the center of attention, especially concerning all things mischievous.

Oh, excellent, Regina had waited for this moment for the past month. The perfect opening to give Gold a hard time about his tragically obvious crush on Belle French, a bookishly pretty freshman who had managed to maneuver her way into several of their  
junior year classes. Belle had somehow managed to convince Storybrook High's administration to let her test out of several of her classes, and she had landed herself smack in the middle of junior math, english, and history. Quite frankly, Regina wasn't  
sure what it was about her that had Gold so infatuated, she didn't really seem like his type. She seemed too… sweet and good for his taste. But, regardless of this, Gold appeared to have fallen head over heels. And, considering that Gold was virtually  
emotionless most of the time, there was no way in hell Regina was going to pass up an opportunity to embarrass him for his sudden display of affection.

"Did you hear that, Gold? Upperclassmen only," Regina said pointedly to Gold, smirking evilly. David and Killian both absolutely erupted into laughter, while Robin just softly grinned. Clearly, the three of them knew exactly what Regina was referring  
to. Emma and Mary Margaret, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered.

"I'm sitting right here, aren't I?" Gold responded suspiciously, glaring at Regina. She arched an eyebrow.

"I just felt like it should be clarified, because I figured you might not want to attend if Belle French isn't going to be there," Regina said matter of factly. This was one of the few times she really wouldn't mind someone calling her the evil queen,  
because she knew she absolutely deserved it. But the opportunity to roast Gold was just too good to pass up. So worth it.

The color seemed to completely drain from Gold's face. And if looks could kill, the one he was giving Regina would have obliterated her from the face of the planet.

"I resent that implication-" Gold began to argue furiously.

"Alright, Gold, the jig is up, I've been waiting to talk about this all month," David interrupted, still chortling loudly. Gold shifted his glare from Regina over to David and Killian.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma interjected irritably, before Gold could threaten all of them. Mary Margaret nodded eagerly in agreement, seemingly equally as confused as Emma.

"Gold, here, seems to have developed a slight.. crush, shall we say, on Belle French," Killian explained, still laughing. Gold looked like he was truly considering jumping out the window next to their table.

"From the bottom of my heart, I hate all of you," Gold snapped, closing his eyes in sheer embarrassment.

"Jesus Christ, Gold, she's like five years old!" Emma exclaimed in disgust, swatting Gold's shoulder. Regina didn't think it was possible for Gold to look any more embarrassed.

"It's a good thing that I don't have any interest in her then!" Gold snarled viciously. David and Killian, who had just stopped laughing, started up again.

"Huh, guess we were wrong then. That's a shame though, she's hot," Killian responded easily, obviously completely bluffing. Regina could almost feel the waves of fury coming off of Emma at that comment. Not to mention, Gold immediately lunged forward  
in his seat towards Killian.

"I will _end_ your life, Killian," Gold growled, glaring at him.

"Oh yeah. No feelings there, clearly," Regina said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Everyone laughed again at that, besides Gold, who leaned back in his seat again, clearly mortified.

"I hate you all, I hope you know that," he muttered furiously. Mary Margaret placed her hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"Come on, Gold, it's not so bad. I think it's sweet!" she exclaimed, smiling at him warmly. Regina almost gagged, Snow would think that.

"Now I really want to kill myself," Gold groaned, burying his face into his hands. Mary Margaret shook her head, bemused.

"We're just giving you a hard time. Besides, I wouldn't mind if you invited Belle, mate," Killian said to Gold, half smiling. Gold glared at him.

"I am _not_ inviting Belle, thank you very much," Gold snapped, much to everyone else's amusement. "And if we don't change the subject in the next five seconds-"

"Alright, Gold, point taken. Moving on," Regina interrupted him. She felt that since she'd brought him into the center of humiliation, it was only right that she should help get him out.

"Well, this now makes Sunday even more stressful for homework, since the football game is on Friday, and now the party Saturday," David said sadly. Regina raised her eyebrows.

"You _would_ plan on doing homework on a Saturday," she couldn't resist snarking.

"Someone remind me why we're friends with her, again?" David responded, rolling his eyes. Regina grinned.

"Trust me, the party will be worth it," Killian reassured him, winking.

"Exactly what does a Storybrook party entail, might I ask?" Robin said, speaking for the first time in awhile.

"Well, for most of us it doesn't involve getting so drunk that you rob a convenient store," Regina said to him under her breath. Robin chuckled and lightly nudged her shoulder. The contact sent shockwaves of electricity through her body. She did what  
she could to ignore them.

"The usual. Drinking, regrettable hook ups, the works," Killian answered, grinning. Emma gave him a very pointed stare at that comment. It was pretty obvious that she and Killian were going through a downstage in their relationship, though Regina still  
was yet to get the specifics on why that was.

"Alright, somebody, most embarrassing hook up story, go," Robin responded playfully, glancing around at all of them.

"There's always the time that Gold hooked up with Zelena," Emma pointed out, snickering. Regina and Gold both simultaneously groaned loudly.

"Really, Emma, did you have to?" Regina snapped irritably. This had to be one of Regina's least favorite stories. Least favorite moments, honestly.

"Have I not been humiliated enough today?" Gold grumbled irritably.

"Wait, isn't Zelena your…?" Robin trailed off, looking at Regina for confirmation. Regina nodded miserably.

"My half sister, yes."

"Isn't she a senior? Why was she even at a party you were at?" Robin asked confusedly.

"Well-" Killian began to explain deviously.

"That's an excellent question," Regina interrupted irritably, glaring at Killian, who had been the one who'd invited her.

"Regina and I had been having a bit of an argument that week, you see…" Killian trailed off, grinning fondly at Regina. Regina responded with a venomous glare.

"Yes, so Killian thought it would be a good idea to invite Zelena to his party for revenge," Regina continued, rolling her eyes. Robin raised his eyebrows.

"She's really that awful? That having her at a party actually qualifies as revenge?"

"Zelena is honestly the worst," Emma answered Robin's question, cracking up. Regina nodded in vehement agreement.

"And… somehow, having her at this party resulted in Gold and her hooking up?" Robin questioned curiously. Gold groaned pathetically again.

"I was drunk!"

"And desperate," David pointed out.

"Shut up, Charming."

"We were playing spin the bottle, and Gold and Zelena just _went_ for it, in front of everyone, it was bloody amazing," Killian reminisced, cracking up at the memory.

"It was disgusting," Regina snapped angrily, glaring at him.

"I'm leaving," Gold muttered, making a move to stand up from the table. Regina grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his chair.

"Actions have consequences, sit down," Regina commanded, grinning at him. Gold just shook his head in disbelief at his horrible luck today.

"So I gather that Zelena will not be invited to the party this weekend, then?" Robin mused, leaning back in his chair.

"If Killian doesn't want me to set his house on fire," Regina snapped. Killian and Robin both laughed.

"No, no Zelena's at this party," Killian answered, lightly punching Regina's shoulder.

Just as Killian made this comment, however, Ruby Lucas, who had been walking by their table, paused behind Killian's chair.

"Did I just hear that you were having a party, Killian?" she asked curiously, her eyes wide with interest. Ruby was dressed in her typical Ruby fashion today, in a bright red mini skirt and a white blouse, with the bottom tied up in a knot to reveal a  
strip of her toned stomach. Her hair, which was jet black with occasional bright streaks of red scattered about, had been straightened and hung almost to the small of her back. Her eye makeup was dark and smoky, and her lips were a dark red.

"You sure did, love. Tell all your friends," Killian answered her, with a cocky grin and a wink. Ruby smirked and walked off, probably to, indeed, tell the rest of the grade the good news.

Regina wouldn't consider herself a partier, by any stretch of the imagination, but even she couldn't deny that she was excited for this.

Frankly, Killian's party couldn't have come at a better time. Regina needed a drink, and she needed one badly.

"Come on, Regina, it could have been worse," Mary Margaret tried, comfortingly placing her hand on Regina's shoulder. Mary Margaret, Emma, and Regina had just made their escape out of Regina's house, where they had been getting ready for the party together.  
They were now beginning the fifteen minute walk to Killian's house.

" _You_ would say that, seeing as she just complimented you," Regina snarked furiously, still fuming from her most recent encounter with Cora. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, but conceded defeat with a shrug.

Mary Margaret and Emma always insisted on getting ready for any event that required them to look attractive at Regina's house. Something about her bathroom being the largest. Whatever the reason, Regina would have done anything to change the tradition.  
Cora always took it upon herself to passive aggressively insult whatever Regina was wearing, or how she looked in general, and then compare her to Mary Margaret. Recently, Cora had particularly taken to criticizing Regina's figure and trying to passively  
imply that she had gained weight, or didn't look good in whatever she was wearing. Cora had always really enjoyed nagging her on that topic, but recently she'd been on a rampage. And tonight had been no exception.

"Yeah, that was pretty rough. Cora is such a bitch, I don't understand why she hates you so much," Emma admitted, shaking her head. Regina was exceptionally grateful for Emma's blatantness and support at the moment. Mary Margaret often tried to defend  
Cora's horrible behavior, while Emma had no trouble completely denouncing her.

"Emma, she does not hate Regina!"

"She really kind of does."

"Yes, let's continue discussing whether or not my mother hates me," Regina snapped irritably, rolling her eyes. She shivered in the cool night air, and momentarily wished she'd taken Cora's advice and 'covered more of herself up'. It wasn't like she looked  
like a whore, but she wasn't exactly striving for… modesty this evening either.

"Either way, Regina, what she said isn't true, you're a babe," Emma complimented her, playfully knocking up against Regina's shoulder. Regina grinned.

Regina had outfitted herself in a black leather skirt, a dark red draping tank top that was tucked into the skirt, and her black, lighter leather jacket over it. She had even taken Cora's usual advice of wearing heels to make her look less 'short and  
stocky', and wore some black leather heels that covered the front/top of her feet. She had curled her hair, letting it flow in more pronounced waves than normal, and she'd actually put some effort into her eye makeup, making it darker to try and highlight  
her chocolate brown eyes. Regina didn't really know what had made her work so hard on her appearance this evening. That was a blatant lie, of course. She knew exactly who she was trying to impress, she just refused to admit it.

"You look beautiful, as always," Mary Margaret confirmed, smiling lovingly at Regina. Regina rolled her eyes, still smiling widely, and threw both of her arms over her two best friends' shoulders as they walked.

"Yeah, yeah, that's enough," Regina said sarcastically, but still making it obvious that she appreciated their validation. Despite the fact that Cora had solidly roasted Regina for wearing a skirt with the 'current size of her legs', Regina knew this  
was going to be a good night.

Regina couldn't help but shake her head as she walked up to Killian's house, which was clearly already full of Storybrook teenagers. Despite the fact that he had taken care to close all the front blinds, she would've sworn she could still detect movement  
behind them. The dull hum of the base from the loud music being played was vaguely audible from outside. Regina would venture that it was certainly going to get louder as the night progressed.

Regina, Emma, and Mary Margaret casually opened the front door and took in their surroundings. Oh yes, this was a Jones party if Regina had ever seen one. Teenagers holding beer cans were covering every square inch of the opening room, and several people  
were already solidly making out in plain sight of everyone. This promises to be a very classy night, Regina thought ironically to herself.

"I'm gonna go find David," Mary Margaret said loudly over the music.

"I'm gonna find Killian!" Emma added.

"Considering that I'm sure they'll be in the same place, why don't we just all look for them?" Regina suggested sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Emma and Snow both laughed.

The three of them made their way into the living room, where, sure enough, David, Killian, and Robin were all seated on the long sofa against the wall. All three of them were laughing loudly about something, and each one of them was holding a beer can  
or red solo cup. Regina wondered where Gold was.

"AYE, look who it is!" Killian exclaimed loudly as he caught sight of Emma, Regina, and Mary Margaret. All three guys stood up from the couch upon their arrival. Mary Margaret immediately walked over to David, who embraced her, and pressed his lips against  
the side of her forehead. How sickeningly adorable. Emma, who normally didn't like to show Killian any affection whatsoever, actually gave him a hug. Killian looked as surprised about this as everyone else, but very happy, nonetheless. But Regina  
was suddenly frozen in place as she made eye contact with Robin.

He looked more handsome than should be legal. He was wearing his normal dark jeans and grey vans (Regina didn't think she'd ever see him wear anything else), which he'd paired with a black v-necked t-shirt, which just made his seemingly flawless body  
even more obvious. His dark blonde hair was slightly tidier than normal, and his light covering of blonde facial scruff was even more attractive than it usually was. He was perfect, so unbelievably handsome… Every negative thing Cora had said to Regina  
about her appearance in the past month ran through Regina's mind, and she felt herself seized by paralyzing insecurity as she wondered if Robin thought she was even half attractive as she thought he was. Yet, despite everything Cora had said, and  
whether it was true or not, Robin Locksley was standing across the room, giving Regina _that_ warm look of sheer admiration that made her heart stop.

Regina's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Part of her wanted to go and speak to him, the other half couldn't move.

"Regina, hey," Killian said suddenly, yanking Regina out of her horrible train of thought. She immediately broke her eye contact with Robin. Killian easily pulled Regina into a friendly embrace, blocking Robin from her vision, and Regina couldn't have  
been more grateful for him.

"Hey," she responded breathlessly, allowing Killian to hug her for a moment longer.

"What's up?"

"I need a drink. Tell me you have something stronger than beer somewhere here," Regina responded, raising an eyebrow. Killian cackled.

"THE EVIL QUEEN, EVERYONE!" he shouted loudly for everyone to hear. Regina's friend group erupted into cheers. The Evil Queen punchline was always particularly well received at parties. She rolled her eyes but grinned anyways.

"Sorry I'm late," she smirked, giving her fans something to enjoy.

"Alright let me take you to go get a drink," Killian replied, laughing.

"Such a good host," Regina mockingly doted. Killian rolled his eyes at that comment, just as Robin walked up to join their conversation. Regina did what she could to resist looking at him. She knew she absolutely couldn't handle her feelings right now.  
Not in this setting, not in this house. Here, she was vulnerable. It was at Killian's house that she'd caught Daniel and Rose six months ago… This house made her emotionally weak, and the _last_ thing she needed was to be around an exceptionally  
attractive Robin Locksley while she was so desperately in need of male validation. Especially his… STOP it, Regina.

"Actually, I'm going to refill as well. Accompany me?" Robin asked Regina casually, flashing his most charming crooked smile. Regina absolutely would _not_ accompany him, she resolved.

"Sure."

Regina and Robin, after successfully weaving through the myriad of drunk teenagers blocking all the entrances to the kitchen, managed to make it to the cabinet where Regina knew Liam stored his whiskey.

Robin retrieved the bottle and began to unscrew the top to pour some into his cup. But before he could, Regina playfully snatched it away and poured herself a glass.

"I need it more," she informed him, raising her newly filled glass to her lips and smirking. Robin arched an eyebrow.

"What's with the desperation for alcohol, might I ask?"

"Have you never just wanted a drink?"

"Certainly. Especially when I'm returning for the first time to the house where I caught my significant other having sex with someone else," Robin responded pointedly, his voice softening a bit. Regina sputtered her whiskey back into her glass, much to  
Robin's amusement.

"Someone's feeling bold tonight," she snapped, glaring at him.

"I guess you're rubbing off on me," Robin retorted, shooting her his typical, irritatingly complacent smirk.

"Well, for your information, I'm still planning on having fun tonight, despite my past misfortunes here," Regina said coldly, annoyed at him for bringing up Daniel. Just because they may or may not have been having (far too many) emotional moments together  
lately did not give him the right to pry into her personal life.

"Oh, yes, you sound absolutely ecstatic," Robin responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Regina glared at him, feeling more challenged than she would have preferred. She'd be damned if she was going to let what happened with Daniel here haunt her tonight.  
She was _going_ to have a night out with her friends, and there was nothing Cora, or Daniel, or even Robin Locksley could do to stop her.

Regina held challenging eye contact with Robin as she tossed back her first glass of whiskey. The bitter alcohol burned her throat, but it didn't really bother her. Robin's eyebrows practically hit the ceiling.

"Well, it seems Your Majesty can take her whiskey, doesn't it?"

"Certainly appears that way, yes."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that a thief can take his as well," Robin informed her easily, as he too tossed back the remaining alcohol in his glass.

"We'll see about that," Regina challenged, pouring both herself and Robin another serving. She raised her glass and very recklessly made the decision to just toss this one back too. Reckless, because it had been… quite awhile since Regina had last been  
drunk and she couldn't imagine her tolerance was anything to brag about at the moment. Robin smirked, and easily drained his as well.

They alternated pouring one another drinks about four more times. Regina had never been more certain that what she was currently doing was an absolutely atrocious idea, and she also hadn't ever cared less. She wanted a carefree night for herself, she'd  
earned it. And with each glass she knocked back, she felt herself lightening and all of her inhibitions dissipating.

"Let's take this next one to go, yeah?" Robin confirmed as he opened up the refrigerator nearby. He pulled out two Cokes. Regina immediately shook her head.

"Diet."

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Quite frankly, yes. I've never seen you smile for so long," Robin responded, bemused. Regina knew that he was right about that bit. Alcohol always made her particularly cheerful and lighthearted. So different from her normal self. The pleasant fog in  
her mind caused her to laugh at Robin's comment, rather than sarcastically retort.

"I still want diet," Regina repeated. Robin rolled his eyes, but replaced one of the Coke cans with a Diet Coke. Robin filled both cups with ice, and poured a hearty serving of whiskey into each glass.

"You are absolutely ridiculous," he told her, shaking his head as he cracked open both of the soda cans.

"See, you say that, but if I just ate whatever I wanted all the time, you wouldn't have anything pleasant to look at," Regina argued, grinning. Robin chuckled at that, as he topped off both of their drinks with their respective sodas.

"You'll always be pleasant to look at. Now drink this, and let's go socialize," Robin responded easily, pressing the drink into her hand. Regina's heart skipped a beat, and her stomach soared. She wondered if Robin really meant that… If he really thought  
she was pleasant to look at. She despised herself for how much she wanted to ask him. A few more drinks in her, and she probably would. Better make this the last one for awhile, Regina thought to herself.

Regina and Robin made their way from the kitchen back into the living room where their friends were. Much to Regina's amusement, Emma was draped across Killian's lap, her arms wrapped around his neck and his securely around her waist, seemingly delighted  
by her sudden mood swing. She was holding a beer, and looked like she was feeling about as good as Regina was. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret and David, who were typically so chaste and sickly sweet, were practically making out on the other end of the couch.  
David had a beer on the table next to him. David occasionally drank, while Mary Margaret never did. Regina wondered where the hell Gold was…

Taking in their friends' behavior, Regina and Robin exchanged a knowing glance and both of them laughed.

"AYE, they're back, we can start now!" Killian suddenly cried, as Regina and Robin walked over to the couch. Mary Margaret and David pulled away from one another, and Emma stood from Killian's lap.

"What are we starting?" Robin asked. Regina casually took off her black leather jacket and tossed it onto the couch.

"TRUTH OR DARE" Killian practically screamed, getting pretty much everyone's attention. His suggestion was met with shouts of agreement, as other juniors began to gather around. Ah, truth or dare. It was Killian's favorite game, and it was practically  
a Jones party tradition (this was how most of the regrettable hook ups took place). Honestly, nobody ever followed the traditional rules of the game, it was mostly just a glorified version of spin the bottle. This way, the people making out weren't  
just doing so by random chance, but by the command of someone else (under the disguise of a 'dare'), who had some reason for wanting to humiliate them.

" _This_ should be interesting," David said.

It was very interesting. On a dare from David, Ruby Lucas made out with Frank Whale. On a dare from Emma, Mallory Dragons made out with Arthur Camelson. On a dare from Mary Margaret, Tamara Turner and Greg Wirst hooked up. And on a dare from Robin, Emma  
and Killian passionately made out in front of everyone (Regina suspected Killian had been silently begging for that one). They really did make a good couple, Emma and Killian. Not that Regina would admit it sober.

All those participating were seated in a severely warped oval/circle on the floor of Killian's living room. Regina was seated in between Mary Margaret and Robin. She knew that, based on how wonderfully drunk she was feeling, she should be running far,  
far away from Robin. The longer she was close to him, the more her heart just… ached for him. The more she couldn't stop imagining throwing herself into his arms, of ripping off that black v-neck and just… Oh, God, she was so screwed.

As he was the last one to be dared, it was now Killian's turn. Regina was interested to see who he would victimize.

"I think that I'm going to…" Killian tauntingly trailed off, glancing menacingly around the circle. Regina rolled her eyes. "I think I'm going to return the favor, Robin" Killian concluded after a long moment of perplexity. Robin chuckled.

"Lucky me. And what are you going to dare me to do?"

It was a particularly odd and uncomfortable moment that followed. Killian met Regina's eyes, and Regina, knowing full well what was about to happen, vigorously began shaking her head. Because for some reason, she knew by the way Killian was looking at  
her that he knew. That he knew how she secretly felt about Robin. Or maybe he didn't really know the full complexity of the situation, per se, but he clearly had some understanding that she really did not need to be kissing Robin.

"I think you should kiss Regina," Killian said to Robin, smirking. Regina's heart pretty much just stopped beating. Killian subtly mouthed 'sorry' to Regina, but Regina knew he wasn't even a little bit sorry. But he had no idea what he was doing to her…  
Even in her completely drunken state, she knew she wasn't ready for this, she couldn't handle kissing Robin right now. She hadn't figured out how to close herself off to him yet, how to make herself unaffected by him. How to not constantly wonder  
what he was thinking, in general and what he was thinking about her. How to not constantly look at him and wonder how she could even _be_ so insanely attracted to him. How to make her stomach stop flipping when he looked at her, and to make  
her heart beat regularly when they were speaking. She was not ready for this.

"Oh boy…" David said quietly, from next to Mary Margaret.

"This is not good," Mary Margaret responded to him quietly. Regina didn't even want to think about what the hell they meant by that. Did _everyone_ know? Regina was reasonably certain that if her friends, let alone _Robin,_ had even the slightest  
inkling about the way she felt, she would legitimately have to jump out a window.

And it _really_ did not help Regina's self confidence that Robin looked like he wanted to die, at Killian's dare. Regina had no idea what to do. All she wanted to do was say no, but resisting seemed feeble at this point.

Robin awkwardly angled his body towards Regina, and stood up onto his knees, as those who had been dared before had done. Regina, feeling more uncomfortable than she ever had, very unsurely followed his lead and stood up onto hers. They made some exceptionally  
uncomfortable eye contact. Robin's deep, clear blue eyes looked so incredibly troubled by this… Regina couldn't help considering that he was probably mortified. She was nothing to him, she had to know that…

"Aye, we don't have all night, you two, stop with the lovey dovey eyes and go for it already!" Emma encouraged loudly. Everyone laughed, with the exception of Mary Margaret, who Regina saw burying her face into her hands.

Robin hesitantly placed his hands on Regina's waist and slightly pulled her closer to him. Her heart was suddenly beating so fast that she felt like she couldn't breathe. The feeling of Robin's hands on her… Fortunately, she didn't have much time to think  
about this, because Robin was suddenly gently pressing his lips against hers.

It wasn't a long kiss. Maybe five seconds, at the most. But they were potentially the most intriguing five seconds Regina had ever experienced. Kissing Robin was… more than she'd thought it would be. It was like everything she'd been expecting, and all  
the things she'd forgotten to think about, all at the same time. His lips were soft, but firm. His hands were sure, but not aggressive. Their lips only moved once or twice in the five seconds, but she could feel that their synchronization was painfully  
perfect. Of course it was. This was so bad, so very, very bad…

They mutually pulled away once all the cheering died down in the background. The last thing Regina wanted was to make everyone else think that she wanted to be kissing Robin for any longer than she had to. They both sat down without a word to one another.

"Right, my turn again. Um, I dare David to kiss Mary Margaret. That's a hard one, I know, but I have to go get another drink," Robin said hastily, before getting up and stalking away from the circle before anyone could protest. Regina knew full well that  
Robin was not going to get a drink. He was probably so embarrassed, he probably couldn't stand to look at her now…

Regina found herself excusing herself moments later. She just wanted to talk to him for a second, she just wanted to tell him that it was fine. That it meant nothing, and that it was never going to happen again. But finding Robin in her drunken haze was  
proving difficult.

"Regina, wait!" Mary Margaret suddenly called out from behind Regina, who was attempting to locate Robin. Regina turned around to face her, trying to hide her mortification.

"Regina, I'm so sorry that happened, I'm sure that was the last thing you wanted," Mary Margaret comforted sympathetically. Regina wasn't entirely sure why she seemed so upset by what had happened…

"I'm fine, Snow."

"I know this night is probably difficult for you, because of Daniel… I'm sure kissing Robin was the last thing you wanted to be doing," Mary Margaret said understandingly. Regina almost died with relief on the spot. Mary Margaret was so worried about  
what had happened because of _Daniel!_ Not because she suspected anything about how Regina felt about Robin. Regina had to make sure to encourage that idea.

"Absolutely," she agreed, nodding her head. Tragically, she was clearly over selling it because Mary Margaret's eyes suddenly widened. Shit. Regina hated herself for being too drunk to manipulate Mary Margaret. Because if she couldn't fool Mary Margaret,  
she sure as hell couldn't fool anyone else.

"Wait… This isn't about Daniel, is it?" Mary Margaret asked slowly, staring at Regina suspiciously.

"No, it is!"

"No it's not, oh my gosh, this is about Robin!"

"It is absolutely _not_ about Robin!"

"Oh my gosh, Regina, did you… _want_ to kiss him?" Mary Margaret asked incredulously, her eyes wide with amazement, like she'd just struck emotional gold. Well, there goes Regina's hope of hiding that secret.

"No, I most certainly did not."

"Yes, you most certainly did. Regina, that's amazing!" Mary Margaret exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around Regina. What the hell did she mean this was amazing?! This was the worst and most humiliating thing in the world!

Regina slid out of her grip immediately.

"No, no, not amazing. Why the hell would this be amazing?"

"Because he so obviously likes you," Snow replied, rolling her eyes as though this were obvious. Regina's heart faltered. No, Robin Locksley absolutely did not like her, Snow was just being optimistic like always. And even if he did, it's not like she  
cared.

"He absolutely does not!"

"Oh, he absolutely does, it's adorable. Alright, I'm not going to say anything else about this, because I fear that if I do you'll murder me, but, Regina… if that's what you want, don't let anything hold you back," Snow said firmly, giving Regina's hand  
an encouraging squeeze before leaving her.

Regina did not want to find Robin so she could profess anything to him, no, she wanted to find him to make sure he was okay with what had just transpired in the living room.

After looking around the house for about five more minutes with no luck, her drunken mind finally worked out that he had probably gone outside to the backyard. She, fearing the cold, briefly returned to the living room to retrieve her leather jacket,  
before making her way outside.

There were very few people in the backyard, which made it relatively easy for Regina to spot Robin. He was standing alone by the lit fireplace on the porch (how considerate of Killian to make a fire), nursing a drink. The lighting of the fire really suited  
him, Regina couldn't help noticing as she walked over to join him.

"Hey," she said softly as she approached, slightly startling him.

"Hey," he responded quietly, seemingly very uncomfortable. Regina sighed. Did he absolutely have to make this so painfully awkward? Yes, maybe he hadn't wanted to kiss her, but was it really _that_ awful?

"I'm sorry about… that," Regina started off hesitantly, staring at the side of Robin's face, as he was still gazing determinedly into the fire rather than at her. This comment got his attention, however, and he met her stare. His eyes still contained  
that same very troubled and conflicted look.

"Why are you apologizing?" Robin asked her confusedly, knitting his eyebrows together in bewilderment. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Because you're clearly very disturbed by what happened," she snapped, trying not to sound hurt by his behavior. Robin looked at her incredulously.

"You think I'm out here, because I didn't… _enjoy_ what just happened?" Robin asked her slowly, like she was the dumbest person in the entire world. Regina was annoyed by this.

"Obviously…"

"You are completely ridiculous."

"And you are completely obnoxious."

"Regina, I'm out here right now because I never wanted it to happen like that," Robin said softly, staring at her intently. Now Regina was the confused one.

"What do you mean 'like that'?"

"I mean that's not how I wanted to-…. That's not how I wanted to tell you," Robin responded, after an excruciatingly long pause.

Clearly, Regina knew exactly what he meant, and what he was trying to tell her. But she just couldn't hear it, she still needed to hear him say it. This was not something she was willing to make any assumptions about. Regina also knew that she should  
walk away right now. She absolutely should not allow him to tell her this, because she knew it was going to change everything, she knew it would be futile to resist after this.

"Tell me…?" Regina trailed off quietly. Robin sighed.

"I know it's wrong, I know you're vulnerable and you just got out of a horrible relationship, I know we're both going through a lot, I know that we're friends and we're in the same group, I know I absolutely am not supposed to be looking at you. I know  
all of this, and I _try,_ I try so hard not to look at you, but I just… do. I know it's wrong of me to put you in this position, I don't expect anything from you, but I just-"

She was a goner at that point. Maybe if she hadn't been drunk, she would have been able to make herself walk away, would have been able to force herself to get out some deflective response telling him that she didn't feel the same way. Maybe she would  
have been smart enough to actually consider the consequences of what would happen later, or how much this would change everything. Maybe she would have been able to think about something other than the present moment. But she _was_ drunk, and  
she didn't think about any of those things.

Regina found herself grabbing Robin with both hands by his shirt and firmly pressing her lips against his to silence him. He, seemingly surprised by this unexpected turn of events, kissed her back equally as strongly for a moment, before they both pulled  
away.

They just looked at each other in amazement for a long moment, as though they were both dumbstruck by what had just happened. Like, in a rare moment of vulnerability for both of them, they were trying to read each other's expression to determine if the  
other felt the same way. Robin clearly did, because he just pulled Regina back to him without a word.

Regina had no idea how long they stood by that fire, allowing herself to lose herself to Robin's wonderfully skillful lips. But once more people began coming outside, they agreed to move their… conversation somewhere more private.

"Let's try upstairs," Robin muttered, as they weaved their way through everyone crowding the downstairs hallways. Regina just laughed and nodded, as she allowed Robin to pull her up the stairs with him. They reached the upstairs hallway, which was pleasantly  
and surprisingly deserted, and Robin paused.

"Would you like to pick a room?" he asked, laughing. Regina smirked and, out of the three, picked the room nearest to them, which appeared to be a guest room. Honestly, she just didn't want to pick Killian's room, which is where she'd caught Rose and  
Daniel last year… That was just a little too much deja vu for her taste.

However, what awaited her inside of the room she selected, which she incorrectly assumed was empty, was equally as traumatic. When Robin opened the door to the room Regina gestured to, Regina literally heard herself let out a quiet scream. Regina and  
Robin had just walked in on Gold and Belle French passionately making out against the wall of the room. Belle was pressed tightly against the wall, her hands tangled into Gold's hair, while Gold's hands were blatantly fumbling around under her shirt.

Gold and Belle shot away from each other immediately. Belle's blue button down shirt was almost completely unbuttoned, and her adorably plain bra was clearly visible. She was flushed crimson and probably couldn't have looked more embarrassed.

"Jesus Christ, Regina!" Gold shouted angrily. Regina's eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me, do you think I _wanted_ to see this?"

"Um, Belle, maybe you should…?" Robin interjected tentatively to Belle, gesturing to her very exposed chest. Belle's blush impossibly deepened and she rapidly fastened the buttons on her shirt, averting her gaze.

"Regina, I swear if you tell anyone about this-" Gold began threateningly.

"You can't seriously expect me _not_ to-"

"I'd think twice about that, dearie. What exactly are you and Mr. Locksley up here to do, besides ruin my life, hmm?" Gold challenged, arching an eyebrow. Sadly, Regina had forgotten that she was in no position to try and hold leverage over Gold's head…

"Fair enough," she replied, smirking. Gold nodded curtly, took Belle's hand, and pulled her out of the room. They closed the door behind them. As soon as the door was shut, Regina and Robin absolutely exploded with laughter.

"What the hell did we just see?"

"I think I'm just destined to be traumatized in this house," Regina replied, grinning. She aimlessly moved towards the empty desk in the corner of the room and leaned back against it, still chuckling. Robin rolled his eyes, but slowly made his way over  
to the desk she was now leaning against. Regina's heart raced as he steadily got closer.

Robin gently placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly pushed her black leather jacket off of her, letting it fall onto the desk behind her. Regina felt herself smile at his touch. She had just completely given into her feelings for the time being,  
and didn't force herself to resist him. She allowed her hands to casually grab onto the sides of his shirt as she stared up at him. Robin's hands easily settled onto Regina's hips, causing her heart to beat so fast she felt lightheaded. He, seemingly  
determined to make Regina's heart stop working entirely, slightly lifted her up so that she was sitting on the desk. Regina's legs immediately curled around his legs, pulling him in between hers.

"I'm _hoping…_ that what's happening right now isn't too traumatic for you," Robin murmured, slightly pulling Regina's body closer to his so that she was completely pressed against his chest. She was really going to have a heart attack soon.

Regina pulled Robin so close to her that there was only maybe a centimeter between their lips. He grinned.

"I'm sure I'll survive," she breathed, pressing her lips against his. Robin tangled both of his hands firmly into Regina's hair, as she allowed hers to explore the light covering of facial scruff on his face. His taste was so distinctive, yet so undefinable.  
And so tragically addictive. His scent was rather definitive as well, it was fresh and cool, almost like a forest.

Regina was certainly not a stranger to kissing. She'd dated Daniel for four years, and they had done more than their fair share of it. But she was a stranger to… _this_ kind of kissing. The kind where she couldn't breathe, or think. The kind that  
had her so dazed in a state of wanting more, of being so enthralled in what was happening that she could barely even remember her name. The kind where she had virtually no control of what she was doing, where her mind was just completely her body's  
slave. The kind that had a certain… heat pooling between her thighs. She certainly hadn't _minded_ kissing Daniel, in fact, she probably would have said that she really enjoyed kissing him. But after experiencing this kind of kissing with Robin,  
she had just become blatantly aware of the lack of chemistry and sexual tension she and Daniel had held in comparison.

The way this was making her feel was dangerous. And she knew that this was a huge mistake. That kissing Robin was a mistake, that even being near him was a mistake, that just Robin in her life, in general, was a mistake. But he was her mistake to make  
all night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry about the really weird formatting in that last chapter, and also, when I'm writing I always put like a line or a big space when there is a skip in time or a big pause between events, but for some reason it doesn't show up when I upload. So if it ever seems like the subject/time suddenly just changes without warning and you get confused, just assume they are in a new setting. Also, sorry for this short chapter, and for the fact that it's literally just my interpretation of the vault scene. There will be another update soon, but the next update would have been way too long with these two parts included, so here it is on its own!**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoy, gimme some reviews. Thanks, love y'all!**

 **Chapter 6**

Well, this was probably the last setting Regina had envisioned herself waking up in this morning. She had not imagined that she would be waking up in the guest bedroom of Killian's house, wearing only Robin's black t-shirt from the night before and her underwear. She had not anticipated that she would have spent the night sleeping next to a wonderfully shirtless Robin Locksley, who had one of his frustratingly gorgeous arms wrapped around her, as she was happily curled up against his exposed chest. And she certainly had not expected that she would let herself give into how she felt about Robin at Killian's party.

Oh, God. She had given in. She had let it happen, she had shown him her hand, she'd let him know her secret. And now…. Now they were here. Now she was wrapped in his arms, breathing in his painfully entrancing scent, allowing herself to be even further tempted… Now she _really_ didn't want to leave. She'd given in, and now she didn't know how to return to the blissful ignorance of what being with Robin might be like… What. Had. She. Done?

Regina felt a painfully strong internal battle raging within her. Part of her suddenly felt like she was being strangled to death with paralyzing fear and entrapment. Like all she wanted to do was disentangle herself from Robin's arms, sprint out of Killian's house, and never speak to Robin again. Like she wanted to just… spare herself. Spare herself from Robin and everything that he might entail. And the other part of her wanted to just nestle further into his chest and relax while she waited for him to wake up. To let herself revel in how flawlessly perfect the night had been… The way his lips had felt moving in perfect synchronization with hers, the way his hands had felt on her body, the way it made her heart race and her stomach flip, the way she'd wanted him… the way he hadn't even asked to do anything more than kiss her, and then (literally) sleep together. She couldn't have imagined it any better herself. Of course she couldn't. It was only natural at this point that being with Robin would be even _better_ than Regina had imagined it would be. So very, very typical of Robin Locksley to surpass her (already _very_ high, honestly) expectations.

Just as Regina was waging this rather intense mental battle, Robin stirred in his sleep a little. His arm underneath her twitched, and she briefly considered that his arm was probably dead asleep, as she was pretty sure she'd been laying on it all night. Regina, fearing that if she didn't make herself move now that she never would, forced herself to shift her weight over onto her side to face his sleeping body.

The relieving of the pressure on his arm seemed to rouse him. Robin's eyes reluctantly opened, and Regina fought the urge to laugh as she watched him adjust to the bright light flooding in from the window. Regina watched in amusement as Robin, having adjusted to the the brightness of the room, confusedly began taking in his surroundings, before realizing where he was. He seemed to encounter the same moment of initial shock that she had at where he'd found himself this morning, followed by a moment of intense uncertainty about what to do next.

"Look who's finally woken up," Regina said softly, so that she might break the tension between them. This comment was rather hypocritical, considering that Regina herself had woken up probably less than five minutes ago. Nevertheless, Robin grinned as he too shifted his body so that he was angled towards Regina. His close proximity was… even more exciting sober. Perfect.

"I apologize… But that was the best, um… sleep, I've had in a very long time," Robin responded with a knowing smirk. Regina was unable to stop the flattered and shy smile that spread across her face at his compliment. Knowing he had… _enjoyed_ what had happened between them as much as she had made her much happier than it should have.

Because she knew it didn't matter, ultimately. No matter how… amazing, Robin might make her feel, and no matter how much she found that she wanted him, she just… couldn't let herself. She wasn't ready. When Daniel had left, Regina couldn't imagine herself loving anyone ever again, she couldn't imagine herself even _considering_ loving anyone else ever again. Just a month ago, when school had started, Regina wasn't even sure if she would be able to handle being around her best friends. She hadn't even figured out how she was going to survive two more years of high school, in general. Daniel had destroyed Regina's heart so thoroughly, how could she possibly even consider handing it to someone else to destroy? She couldn't. Robin may be exactly what she wanted, but he just couldn't be what she needed. And Regina knew that she absolutely was not in a place in her life to be taking emotional gambles.

So, it was decided. Yes, Regina had a moment (a night) of weakness, and now she knew what it was like to be with him, and now it was even more difficult to keep him at arm's length. But as soon as she left this room, she knew that she was going to have to teach herself to do just that. What happened in this room last night, was going to stay in this room. It could never happen again, and she would never ever let it. But that was after she left this room, Regina rationed with herself. She could indulge herself, just a _little_ bit, just one more time. It was only fair, she decided.

Regina forced herself to sit up in the bed, and Robin followed her lead. She ran her hand through her hair, still lightly smiling at his comment about 'sleep'. She briefly glanced down at herself, and realized again that she was still wearing his t-shirt, and he was still shirtless. A very problematic thing for Regina's newfound resolve to push him away. She forced herself to swing her legs over her side of the bed and stand up. Robin again followed her example, and stood from his side of the bed. Oh, dear lord, standing was a bad idea, his body… She literally wanted to look away, it was almost painful for her to see. Sadly, Robin was clearly inconsiderate of her struggle, because he simply crossed the room to where she was now standing.

"I assume you want your shirt back," Regina mused, letting herself stare into his eyes. Undeniably a mistake, but she was indulging herself one last time, Regina reminded herself. Robin half smiled at her comment.

"Sadly, yes. It looks much better on you though," he responded easily, giving her that far too perfect look of admiration that made Regina's heart stop beating. She couldn't help but grin, which seemed to make him happy.

"So… why don't you and I sneak out of this house, and let me take you to breakfast at Granny's?" Robin asked gently, smiling at her with his infectious warmth. Regina hated herself for how much she wanted to accept his offer… For how much she wanted nothing more than to stay with him, and be with him, and… No, no more.

"That sounds lovely, but we both know we can't do that," Regina answered him quietly, sighing and averting her eyes from his. Robin seemed to be expecting this response.

"You're probably right. I hear Granny is a bit of a gossip," he said back, his voice laced with playful sarcasm. Regina chuckled, and let an amused grin slide across her face, in spite of herself. This, in turn, made Robin return her expression.

"There it is," he began softly, lightly running one of his hands over her cheek and through her hair. Regina could've sworn this sent a literal shiver down her spine, as her heart rate nearly doubled. "There's that elusive, but satisfying smile I think about every time I close my eyes."

Regina felt an intense flush rise to her cheeks and she bit her lip bashfully, averting her gaze again. She loved the way he was speaking to her right now, she had never enjoyed a conversation as much as she was enjoying this one, and _how_ she wanted to continue it… but she couldn't. She had to stop him.

"Robin…-"

"Regina, I know. I know that we didn't put anything into writing last night, please relax," Robin interrupted her, sighing, and letting his hand fall from her face. He seemed to be anticipating all of her reactions this morning. Of course he was.

And of course Regina knew it was important that he understand where she stood on their future, but she also couldn't stand the thought of him not at least knowing that she'd… _enjoyed_ what had happened between them. She wanted him to know at least that much.

"Robin, it was…" she began, before realizing she couldn't even find the appropriate vocabulary to express just how… _incredible_ it had been.

"I know," Robin murmured, taking a step closer to her. It was peculiar, even though Robin clearly seemed to understand that Regina was going to pull away and not allow a future, he continued to act as though he thought the opposite. Regina wondered if perhaps he was just indulging himself one last time as well. She couldn't deny that the thought flattered her.

"But I can't," she told him gently, slightly nervous for his response. Robin sighed again.

"I know."  
"Because, I can't..- what do you mean you know?" Regina interrupted herself. She'd been preparing to explain to Robin that the situation was too complicated, and the fact that he apparently already agreed with her caught her off guard.

"Regina, I… I'm sorry that I took advantage of you last night, I absolutely shouldn't have done that," Robin answered her, staring into her eyes earnestly, like he truly meant what he'd said. This really made Regina do a double take. He could not possibly think that he took advantage of her, there was no way Regina could allow him to continue thinking that, it would just be wrong, right?

"Robin, you absolutely did not take advantage of me. Neither of us were in a state of mind to be making clear emotional decisions. And I didn't exactly say no," Regina argued, letting out a slight chuckle at the end as she painfully recalled just how much she _didn't_ resist him…

An adorable half smile spread across Robin's lips. He took Regina by surprise again by easily placing his hands on the curves of her waist. Oh, no… His hands absolutely could not be there, there was no way she could resist…

"I don't think you said much of anything, actually," Robin breathed softly, his face suddenly troublingly close to Regina's. His hands were causing her stomach to do backflips, and her heart to take off at a sprint, and his remarkably clean smelling breath made her head a whir. She needed to come up with a response to his comment, she recognized.

"Yes, well, the unknown number of whiskey shots you and I decided to take didn't exactly do wonders for my vocabulary skills," Regina managed to answer sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Robin.

"Yes, mistakes were made. One of them certainly being that we managed to walk in on Gold and Belle doing… Whatever it is they were doing," Robin responded, raising his eyebrows and laughing again. Regina groaned miserably, sadly recalling the horror show that she and Robin had unsuspectingly encountered. She also considered how genuinely tragic it was that she would be unable to torment Gold with what she'd seen, as he had something equally as horrible to fire back at her.

"Oh, God, I was praying that was just a nightmare. That was truly traumatizing. I certainly picked the wrong room…"

"Yes, we made mistakes. But I think… we made up for them," Robin murmured, allowing one of his hands to softly run through Regina's hair again. Regina lost a significant amount of self control with that movement, and found herself almost involuntarily leaning into Robin's lips, her nose brushing against his. So close, so close… NO.

"Or digging ourselves in deeper. We can't," Regina finally stopped herself, forcing herself to take a step back. She also compelled herself to take Robin's hands off of her body and place them firmly by his sides. She really needed him to not be shirtless anymore.

Regina made her way into the bathroom, where she knew she'd taken off her clothes the night before, leaving Robin standing by the bed. She quickly changed back into her black leather skirt and red, blousing tank top from the night before. She also picked up her shoes and her leather jacket off of the ground and brought them back into the room.

She'd only been gone for a few seconds, but Robin had moved over to his side of the bed. Regina set her shoes and jacket onto the desk in the corner, not able to face the thought of putting her feet back into those heels. She tossed Robin the t-shirt he'd so graciously loaned her.

He wordlessly accepted it and pulled it over his head. Honestly, he looked so ridiculously good in it that it didn't much remedy the shirtless situation. Probably a step in the right direction though.

"Besides, Robin, even if there wasn't a Daniel, or a Marian, or a Snow, David, Killian, Emma, or Gold… I'm certain that this would end… badly," Regina felt the need to continue, at the very impassive expression on Robin's face. She figured that Robin might not be so mad at her if maybe she could explain to him what being with her would be like… If she could make him understand that she really wasn't something he should want for himself.

Robin looked at her incredulously, and crossed the room to where she was standing.

"Are you really that much of a pessimist?"

"You would be too, if you actually knew anything about me," Regina answered him softly, truly meaning what she said.

Regina wouldn't necessarily classify herself as someone desperately in need of validation, or as someone who looked like she suffered from crippling insecurity. She did, however, consider herself to be someone with… baggage. This wasn't exactly uncalled for, as the two most important people in her life, her father and her little brother, had died two years ago. And that her boyfriend of four years had been unable to emotionally support her in the aftermath, and instead allowed her to catch him having sex with someone else. And that she had a mother who enjoyed nothing more than pointing out and nagging her about every single flaw she had. So, Regina believed that she'd earned the right to carry some emotional baggage around with her. But she also believed that this extra cargo made her a very difficult person to be close to at all, let alone to love. And she felt that Robin should understand this before he started making promises about his feelings for her that he wouldn't want to keep.

"Regina… I'll accept any excuse you want to give me about how it's a complicated situation because of your past with Daniel, or maybe even mine with Marian, or about the fact that you and I not only share friends, but are friends ourselves. But don't even begin to tell me that I wouldn't want you," Robin said, much more seriously than she was accustomed to hearing from him. She hated him for the fact that, even though she knew he didn't know what he was saying, she almost believed him anyways.

"You have no idea what you'd be getting yourself into, trust me," Regina murmured, finding her resolve compromised as Robin steadily moved closer to her again. He shook his head, and his hands gently moved back onto Regina's waist. This, again, sent shivers of desire and pleasure down her spine. And, again, she almost just gave in.

"Don't. Regina, just let me…" Robin breathed, pressing his forehead against hers. Regina needed to get his hands off of her, _quickly…_

"You can't. We can't," Regina somehow got herself to respond, "And _this…_ cannot happen a second time. You understand?" she finished, as she forced herself to take his hands off of her body again. She didn't, however, seem to possess enough self control to make herself take a step back. Robin sighed.

"I know. And I agree," he replied softly, nodding curtly. He stared into her eyes strongly, with a look that told Regina he really wouldn't pursue her anymore if it wasn't what she wished. This was what she needed, of course, but she found that it also _really_ wasn't what she wanted…

Clearly the glance she returned to him portrayed her underlying disappointment, and Robin perceived it. He suddenly smirked, and placed his hands back onto her waist.

" _But_ … If we don't leave this room…" Robin trailed off seductively, causing a tragic spike in Regina's heart rate. He slowly started walking towards her, forcing her to take a step back. "Then… I _think,_ that this still just counts as the first time, don't you?"

Regina was unable to resist the amused and flirtatious grin that suddenly took over her face as she allowed Robin to gently trap her against one of the walls of the bedroom. Robin pressed his lips against hers and all of Regina's protests and arguments for how bad of an idea this was dissipated in her mind as she was lost in the heaven that was kissing Robin Locksley. One of Robin's hands tangled into Regina's hair, and she wrapped her arms around his torso, holding him to her. And then, slightly to Regina's annoyance, but mostly to her rather intense pleasure, Robin's strong arms suddenly wrapped around under Regina's ass and lifted her up into his arms. Regina felt herself grin into his kiss, as he carried her across the room and back over to the bed. She felt herself falling backwards onto it, and decided to _really_ indulge herself for a minute or two.

_It was more than a minute or two. It was two hours. And had Cora not left Regina a scaldingly angry voicemail about her whereabouts, it could've been two days.

Regina, having fully clothed herself again, sprinted down the stairs of Killian's house, and attempted to maneuver herself out the door without encountering anyone else. It was something of a tradition for Regina and her friends to spend the night at the Jones' house after a party to have breakfast and help Killian clean up in the morning. So she knew there was a very disturbing chance that her entire friend group could be sitting in the living room waiting for her and Robin to make the walk of shame down the stairs. And she was not in the mood for the humiliation of an intervention at the moment.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Mary Margaret suddenly called out from the living room, much to Regina's horror. She sighed, knowing she'd been caught, and moped into the living room. She tried to mentally prepare herself for becoming the punchline of about a million jokes from Killian, Gold and David, and to be completely emotionally interrogated by Snow and Emma.

However, she was pleased to see that the only person in the room was Snow. She was seated on the couch casually, sipping leisurely from a cup of coffee, and dressed in David's button down shirt from the night before and some athletic shorts. Mary Margaret was probably smart enough to bring a change of clothes with her… Regina hated herself for not possessing this foresight. If she had, she wouldn't have needed to borrow Robin's shirt, and him being shirtless could've been avoided entirely, and maybe then she would've had some self control this morning. She knew that this was very unlikely, but it made her feel better to pretend.

"Yes, that was the goal," Regina snarked, rolling her eyes. Mary Margaret grinned.

"No need. Everyone else is still asleep. Well, except Robin, I would assume," she replied, smirking knowingly. Regina felt the unpleasant heat of humiliation flood her cheeks.

"I wouldn't have any idea what Robin is doing right now."

"Alright, we'll go with that. So, how was your evening?" Mary Margaret asked calmly, clearly not believing a word of what Regina had said.

"Spectacular. I don't think my morning will be, though. Cora just left me a very passive aggressive voicemail suggesting that I return home 'at my earliest convenience'," Regina answered, dreading the hell Cora was sure to give her when she got home.

"How'd she find out you were here?"

"Actually, she just thinks I'm at your house at the moment," Regina responded, smiling ironically. Mary Margaret laughed.

"What's she so mad about, then?"

"Oh, you see, obviously, with my _six_ AP classes, I've been 'disappointingly lazy' lately, and she is 'displeased with my high amount of social outings' in recent weeks," Regina explained, rolling her eyes irritably at just how infuriating her mother was. Mary Margaret also rolled her eyes.

"Your mother really makes it hard to like her, I have to say," she replied, shaking her head.

"Yes, well, I should be getting back to her," Regina said sarcastically, making her way back towards the front door before Mary Margaret could try and talk about Robin again.

"Nope, nope, nope. We are not done here, young lady" Mary Margaret called out after Regina condescendingly. Regina groaned miserably and turned back around.

"I really think we are. What is it that you so desperately want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about the fact that you clearly return Robin's feelings for you," Snow exclaimed excitedly. Regina ignored the way her stomach flipped over when Snow mentioned Robin's 'feelings for her'. This was ridiculous, of course. He did not have feelings for her, and she certainly did not return the feelings he obviously did not have.

"Robin does not have feelings for me. And I do not have feelings for him. It's really very simple," Regina snapped. Snow rolled her eyes, and shook her head.

"You might want to finish buttoning your shirt before you go off about your complete lack of feelings for Robin," Snow retorted, smirking. Mortified, Regina briefly glanced down at herself and realized that her bra was indeed slightly showing. Perfect. She hastily moved to adjust her shirt so that none of her undergarments were visible. Though it didn't do much to help her argument against Snow in the moment, it was certainly a good thing Snow had mentioned this, as Cora would have gone ballistic if she'd seen it.

"Right, well-"

"Right, well, you just spent the night with Robin, and if I didn't know better, I'd say that you look smitten," Snow interrupted, arching an eyebrow challengingly. Regina's already present flush deepened. She absolutely did not look smitten. She had no feelings whatsoever about Robin or about the night they had just shared. Nothing. Not a single emotion.

"And if _I_ didn't know better, I'd say that you just want me to like Robin so that you don't have to feel so awful about what happened with Daniel," Regina snapped back in response. She regretted it instantly, it was vicious and uncalled for, even for her.

Fortunately, her remark didn't seem to hurt Snow's feelings as much as she'd worried it might. Snow just sighed, and rose from the couch.

"Or maybe I just want you to be happy. Daniel wasn't going to make you happy. But Robin… Robin will."

"And how can you possibly know that? We've known him all of a month."

"Yes, and I'm sure you've noticed that we're all rather taken with him," Snow responded pointedly, arching an eyebrow. Well, wasn't that the fucking truth… If only her friends _hadn't_ been so taken with him. If they hadn't all fallen so helplessly prey to Robin's ridiculous amount of charm and just overall amazing personality, Regina wouldn't have found herself in the predicament she was in. She would have been able to avoid him, like she'd known she should, and she wouldn't be here, having just spent the night with him and completely falling for- NO. Regina cut off her own train of thought, she absolutely was not falling for Robin Locksley. He was nothing to her, it was just a drunken mistake, a meaningless hook up. She was certain that if she told herself that enough times, she might eventually start to believe it.

"Yes, I've noticed."

"Regina, you don't have to be ashamed," Snow said gently, as though she was reading Regina's mind like a book. Snow had always had a very irritating penchant for reading Regina's thoughts and facial expressions, and somehow always knowing exactly what she was thinking. Regina seldom admitted it, because Snow really did drive her absolutely insane at times, but she might very well be the only person in Regina's life who truly seemed to understand her.

"I know I don't have to be. But… I am," Regina whispered in response, letting her guard down for a moment. Snow sighed, and gave Regina her classic empathetic and loving glance in response.

"Be as stubborn as you'd like, but when you're ready to admit the fact that you're falling for him, I'll be right here waiting to talk about it with you," Snow said, clearly amused by Regina's stubborn attitude. Regina temporarily loved and hated her for being such a good friend.

"Don't hold your breath for that. You know what, actually, go ahead," Regina snarked, putting her guard right back up. Snow grinned and rolled her eyes. Regina turned to make her escape out the door for the third time.

"I'd tame that sass of yours, missy, or Cora will have you for breakfast," Snow called out to her, as Regina finally made her way out the door. This was the one true thing Snow had said all morning.

"Love you!" Snow shouted just as Regina slammed the door. Regina couldn't help but smile at that anyways.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, this chapter is going to have a part from Robin's perspective later on. So pay attention for that, because I'm sure Fanfiction won't let me separate my paragraphs, so just thought I'd give you a heads up that there will be a portion in there from Robin's perspective.**

 **Chapter 7**

Things with Robin were not going as Regina had planned. This seemed to be a recurring theme in her relationship with Robin, but it was still rather frustrating, nonetheless. If Regina had gotten her way, she and Robin would have just returned to their prior method of interacting with one another, perhaps a bit less friendly and comfortable, but overall the same. But this, apparently, looked much different in practice than in theory, because things were completely different now. Things had just gotten… awkward. And their already present sexual tension seemed to have increased tenfold. It seemed that the fact that they had now gotten to know one another in a very… _different_ context, had completely ruined their ability to have a conversation without some kind of transparent, sexual undertone. They somehow seemed to be accidentally touching one another much more than they had before. For example, if they were working on a chemistry lab, Robin's hand would brush Regina's much more than necessary, or Regina's leg would graze the side of Robin's repeatedly. Or, for instance, there was one rather unfortunate incident where Regina and Robin completely ran into one another in the hallway as Regina was rounding a corner. Robin's hands had instinctively stopped a collision by sliding onto Regina's waist, which, had it been anyone else, would have been entirely natural, but in their current context… it was both horribly awkward and wonderfully sexual at the same time. Furthermore, it really did not help that Mary Margaret, who had actually been a great help by keeping Regina and Robin's secret (from everyone but David, of course), seemed to be unable to resist making underhanded comments about Regina and Robin when they were all together. Yesterday, during lunch, she'd made a seemingly very nice comment about how attractive Regina looked, which would have been lovely, except she then followed it up by pointedly stating that she was sure Robin agreed. Robin had practically spit his water back into his cup and Regina had essentially choked to death on a bite of her salad.

Not to mention the fact that Regina and Robin's little drunken escapade couldn't have come at a worst time. The homecoming dance, which was potentially the most exciting event of the year for a Storybrook teenager, was next week. And Regina was horrendously stressed out about it. Obviously, she'd had a guaranteed date her past two years in high school, seeing as she'd been dating Daniel, but now she was on her own with the rest of the girls in her grade. And going without a date simply wasn't an option for her, not with Cora as her mother. Regina literally could not stomach the idea of just going without a date and then having to endure all of Cora's passive aggressive comments about how if Regina were perhaps more 'likable', or 'slimmer', or 'more athletic', or just more attractive in general, she might have gotten a date.

Regina couldn't deny the fact that she secretly couldn't even handle how much she wished she could go with Robin. But she understood that this simply wasn't an option for them. She knew it would be completely moronic to believe that, if they agreed to go to the dance together, that they would be able to keep their hands off of one another. She supposed that she could perhaps go with Gold, but she didn't even want to think about what kind of deal she would have to make with him to get him to agree to taking her. It obviously would be most practical for them to go together, as they'd be going in the same group with their friends, regardless, but Gold would probably rather be run over by a truck than be Regina's date to anything.

And, of course, the homecoming dance was pretty much all anybody seemed to be able to talk about. Alas, Regina was very stressed out.

Currently, Regina was sitting with her friends at lunch. As they had been doing for the past week, she and Robin were attempting to avoid speaking directly to one another, and trying to initiate group chatter instead. But this was proving especially difficult today. Mary Margaret and David appeared to be feeling particularly affectionate towards one another and were speaking quietly together, while Emma and Killian were in the middle of a horrifically explosive argument about who Killian was going to ask to the dance. This was particularly obnoxious, since literally everyone, except the two of them, evidently, knew that Killian was going to ask Emma. And Gold… well, things between Gold, Regina, and Robin were tragically awkward after what they had seen him doing with Belle at Killian's party. Things, overall, were just not going well in Regina's social life at the moment.

"So… how are you?" Robin asked Regina reluctantly, clearly coming to the same conclusion as she had about the current lack of group discussion at the table.

"Stressed. And yourself?" Regina responded calmly.

"Stressed is a good word, I would say…"

"And what does a free wheeling thief, like yourself, have to be stressed about?" Regina teased, with a playful smile. She wanted to at least try and make it seem like things could go back to normal. If only she could stop thinking about how she wanted nothing more than to climb onto his lap, straddle him, and never talk again… Oh, yes, normal was just on the horizon, clearly.

"Thieves have problems too, your majesty," Robin quipped, winking. Regina laughed.

"Such as?"

"Well, for one this bloody homecoming dance is really beginning to test my patience," Robin said, sighing. Regina arched an eyebrow and let out an amused chuckle.

"Why's that?"

"Coach Scarlett requires all the football players to have dates. And it's not exactly like I know that many people here to ask," Robin admitted, appearing slightly abashed by this. Regina hated herself for wanting him to ask her so badly… She obviously knew that this couldn't happen.

"I see. Well, I'm sure you could have your pick of girls here," Regina responded passively, making ten thousand percent certain that no hint of jealousy or discomfort at the idea of Robin with another girl was evident in her voice. Her comment, however, seemed to peak Robin's interest.

"So… You'd be… alright with that, then?" Robin asked her hesitantly, seemingly very nervous for her answer. Regina's heart stopped.

"Alright with…?"

"With me asking someone else?"

"That's what's stressing you out? You were worried about what I would think?" Regina asked him incredulously. Robin rolled his eyes, but it was obvious that he was very uncomfortable with the topic.

"Well, yes."

Why did he do this to her? Why did he have to… say things? It was as though he _knew_ that it would, contrary to her response, make her absolutely miserable if he went with someone else. All Regina wanted to do was beg him not to take someone else, but at the same time beg him not to ask her either. Perfect.

She knew that if they went together she'd be a goner. There was absolutely no way she could handle seeing Robin in a suit, him looking at her with that look of sheer admiration, his hands on her waist while they danced…- NO. It seemed her only option was to lie.

So, in response, Regina sat back in her chair and averted her glance from his.

"Robin, ask whoever you'd like. I really couldn't care less," she forced herself to answer him casually, as though she meant what she'd said even a little bit. From her peripheral vision, she could see the smallest hint of hurt flash across Robin's face at her response. But just as quickly as it was there, it disappeared, and Robin regained his cool.

"Alright then," he replied blankly, also sitting back in his chair and looking away. Regina felt her heart break a little bit. She tried to ignore it.

"Fine," she said quietly.

"Fine."

Thankfully, at that moment, Mary Margaret and David reemerged from their seclusive discussion and addressed everyone.

"So, pictures for the dance at Regina's house?" she asked the group, smirking at Regina. Mary Margaret knew how much Regina despised having anything happen at her house. Regina despised anything that gave Cora the opportunity to be present.

"The mansion it is," Emma chimed into the mockery, winking at Regina. Obviously, Emma knew that Regina's home was not an actual mansion, but she also knew just how much it annoyed Regina when people commented on the size of her home.

"Is there even anywhere else to take pictures in this town?" Killian clearly couldn't resist joining in.

"I don't even have a date yet!" Regina protested irritably.

"Couldn't frighten anyone into taking you, huh?" Gold interjected snarkily. Regina glared at him.

"That's funny, I didn't know you'd managed to find a date, Gold," Regina retorted, earning a well deserved laugh from the rest of her friends.

"Regina, obviously you're going to find a date. I can think of like five people off the top of my head who would be dying to go with you!" Mary Margaret said kindly. It seemed that she'd meant what she'd said genuinely, until she realized that she'd created an amazing opportunity for herself to make Regina and Robin uncomfortable. So, naturally, she shot Robin a very pointed glance and an eyebrow raise. Robin looked like he wanted to die. Regina fought the urge to strangle her.

And, as though Mary Margaret had expertly staged it herself, Sidney Glass decided to walk past their table right at that moment. Sidney was another guy in Regina's grade and he was… _interested_ in her, to say the least. Regina had known Sidney since elementary school, and she honestly couldn't remember a time in her life when he _hadn't_ been interested in her. He had asked her to be his valentine, without fail, every year up until she'd started dating Daniel, he'd asked her to every middle school dance… And, once, during their freshman year, he'd drunkenly called her and professed his undying love. Regina had been forced to mercilessly reject him on multiple occasions, but, no matter how harshly she attempted to put him down, he just bounced back twice as hard. To this day, he still talked to Regina any chance he got, and lingered around her whenever possible. It was a real shame, honestly, because Sidney really was a completely normal and nice guy, with the exception of his crush on Regina. He wasn't bad looking either, so if it weren't for his ridiculous obsession with Regina, he probably could have his pick of girls.

"Hey, Regina," Sidney offered casually, as he walked past her table. Regina responded with a friendly wave and polite smile, trying to ignore the way he made her skin crawl. He smiled shyly, and continued walking off to do whatever it was he'd originally set out to do. Mary Margaret, Emma, David, Killian, and Gold all burst into hysterics as soon as Sidney was out of earshot.

"For God's sake, get yourselves together. Did you plan that, Mary Margaret?" Regina snapped, doing what she could to fight the urge to laugh with them.

"Okay, even I don't have that good of timing. But, really, Regina, exhibit A of guys who would be dying to go with you," Mary Margaret encouraged her, grinning.

"I think Sidney Glass would _literally_ die to go with Regina," Gold snarked, causing everyone to start laughing again, even Regina.

"And I would _sooner_ die than go with him," Regina said, rolling her eyes.

"Be nice," David chided lightly, earning him another eye roll.

"I would go alone if Cora would allow it," Regina said, sighing. Mary Margaret and Emma nodded understandingly. They were both particularly well aware of how terrible Cora could be to Regina.

"What difference would it make to Cora?" David asked confusedly, thoughtfully putting one of his french fries into his mouth.

"'Regina, maybe if you lost weight guys would like you'," Emma mimicked Cora, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"'Regina, if you would just smile every once in awhile…'" Mary Margaret agreed, shaking her head.

"Your mother says things like that to you?" Robin asked suddenly, much to Regina's surprise. He looked… angry?

"Oh, Cora is a real treat," Killian answered him sarcastically, laughing.

"Yes, she's a joy. I hope you all enjoy her while you use my home for pictures without me," Regina snarked, rolling her eyes.

"Gold doesn't have a date yet either," David pointed out, as though this might make Regina feel better. Honestly, Regina and Gold really were in the same boat. Neither could go with the person they really wanted to be with, both for reasons they obviously couldn't share with other people.

"Why don't you two just go together?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. Gold glared at her, and Regina just buried her face into her hands miserably.

"I'm flattered by the suggestion, but uninterested," Gold mocked, glancing over at Regina with a playful smirk.

"And besides, that would leave out poor Robin," Mary Margaret interrupted pointedly, grinning. Regina glared at her fiercely, while Robin, confusingly, rose from the table.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm going with someone else," he snapped sarcastically, before stalking off without another word. Regina had never seen Robin react so emotionally to something in all the time she'd known him.

"What the hell was that about?" Emma asked in bewilderment, glancing between Mary Margaret and Regina. Mary Margaret looked at Regina, as though expecting her to just suddenly fill everyone in on the situation she and Robin had suddenly found themselves in.

"I have absolutely no idea," Regina lied, shaking her head, and changing the subject of conversation.

It had been two days since the incident at lunch, and Robin hadn't spoken a word to Regina directly since. And it was truly beginning to drive him insane.

Just Regina, in general, was beginning to drive Robin insane. It seemed that no matter what he did, he simply was unable to stop himself from thinking about her, and wanting her. Thinking of how she kept him on his toes in arguments, of her ridiculously sharp wit and sarcasm. Thinking of how frustratingly smart she was, how she was so exceptionally good at every subject in school, and how whenever he disagreed with her on something, he always ended up being wrong. Thinking of how incredible she was with Roland, and how much it tugged on his heart to see her with him. Thinking of the way that she seemed to make him feel… alive, for the first time in a very, very long while. Thinking of how ridiculously gorgeous she was… really, Robin wanted to know how a human being could possibly be so perfect. How could she be so effortlessly beautiful? How did her long, wavy dark hair seem to constantly frame her flawless, fair-skinned face so perfectly? Why did he love the way it occasionally fell into her eyes so much, why was it that the only thing he wanted to do was just run his hands through it and experience its mesmerizing softness? Why did he want nothing more than to look into her wide, alluring, chocolate brown eyes forever? How could she have such a bold and audacious personality, yet be so attractively… small? Robin couldn't even comprehend how such a small person could hold such large power over him. He also couldn't fathom how he could possibly be so attracted to someone, in general. Robin was no stranger to girls, his first girlfriend, Marian, had been beautiful by all common standards, and he had certainly hooked up with his fair share of others in the wake of their breakup. But he had never in his entire life experienced such an attraction like his to Regina.

And it wasn't as though he _wanted_ to be looking at her. In fact, Robin probably wanted nothing more than to _not_ be looking at Regina. He knew she was so off limits to him. She had just gotten out of a horrific relationship, she was vulnerable. She was, understandably, still struggling with the death of her father and little brother, she was emotionally exhausted. The last thing Regina needed in her life was a boyfriend, and he could plainly understand that. And it wasn't as though Robin was free of emotional struggles himself. His mother's death certainly still plagued him every single day, and losing Marian, although it had definitely been time for their relationship to end, wasn't exactly easy for him either. Not to mention, the stress of having to practically raise Roland himself while his father was out supporting their family didn't exactly just roll off his back. Indeed, it seemed that neither of them were in any place to be desiring a relationship. Yet, a relationship with Regina was the only thing Robin was able to think about.

And it had only gotten worse since what had happened between them at Killian's party. Before, Robin had at least been blissfully ignorant of what being with Regina might be like. Of what kissing her would smell like, taste like, _feel_ like… of how her body would feel in his hands, or how it would feel to be touched by her. To run his hands over her hips, her waist, through her hair… But now, now he was hopelessly enslaved to the memories of that night. Robin didn't think he had successfully gone five minutes without thinking of it at least once since it had happened. And how desperately he wanted it to happen again. And again. And again. He just wanted to be with her. But he knew how much he really shouldn't, and, more importantly, _couldn't,_ want that.

But he wanted it anyways. And, quite frankly, he'd secretly been plotting how he could swing asking Regina to the homecoming dance without making it seem like he wanted anything more than friendship from her. He had considered that it wasn't as though the notion of them going together didn't make sense for their friend group. It would be much easier and overall less awkward for the rest of the group if the two of them just went together, rather than bringing along dates that nobody felt comfortable around. Of course, if he was able to successfully convince Regina to accompany him to the dance, he'd also been brainstorming ways to get her to agree to be more than friends. He knew she felt it too. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him, and in the way he could make her smile and laugh more than anyone else seemed to be able to. And he could feel the tension in the way they bantered. And he could feel it in the way she'd kissed him that night… She'd kissed him first, after all.

He knew she was just frightened. He could see fear in her eyes too. This was justifiable, of course. How could she not be afraid after what Daniel had done to her? Robin just had to find a way to show her that letting herself fall for him wasn't a bad thing. That he wouldn't ever hurt her, that he didn't want anything from her, _except_ her. But making her see this was proving rather difficult, as she seemed intent on blocking him at every turn. But Robin was patient. And he felt confident that he would spend as much time as was necessary trying to break down her walls. He knew that, if she'd let him, he would give her absolutely everything he had, trying to prove to her just how much he wanted her.

Except, now he'd really gotten himself into a difficult spot with this whole homecoming dance situation. He'd let his hurt, and emotions when Regina said she didn't care who he went with get the better of him. Obviously, he knew that she was completely bluffing and that she cared quite a lot who he went with, but he couldn't deny that it had hurt him anyways when she said she didn't. And now he didn't know what to do. Part of him was considering honoring his word, and, indeed, taking someone else to try and make her jealous. But at the same time, the last thing Robin wanted was a date night with some girl he didn't know, when he had less than no interest in anyone but Regina anyways. And he also really wasn't interested in playing games with her. If he was going to this dance, he was going with her.

Robin was considering all of these things on his rather long walk from his AP English class to the opposite side of the building where his elective on forest and wilderness took place. Robin knew that Mary Margaret was right about the fact that there were probably dozens of guys in their grade who wanted to take Regina to the dance. So, if he was going to ask her, against her wishes, he needed to come up with a pretty solid plan somewhat quickly.

Fate, however, apparently was much more interested in playing jokes on Robin than in helping him convince Regina. Regina's AP Latin class happened to be on the way to Robin's elective, and as he was passing the classroom she ordinarily would have just left, he saw a very nervous looking Sidney Glass speaking to her in front of the lockers just to the right of the classroom. This immediately raised about twenty red flags in his mind, because he couldn't think of a single thing that Regina and Sidney would have to be discussing so privately. Other than the homecoming dance, that is. Regina could not have looked less thrilled about the conversation she was apart of. And Robin just couldn't resist allowing himself to eavesdrop.

"… So, Regina, I was just wondering if maybe, you know, seeing as you're single now… you'd like to go to the homecoming dance with me?" Robin heard Sidney ask, sounding nervous enough to be on the verge of legitimately passing out.

The next few seconds were pretty much a blur for Robin as he made his way over to interrupt their conversation.

"Oh, Sydney, I… I don't think-" Regina was beginning to respond very uncomfortably. Robin could clearly see that she was miserable, as she awkwardly ran her hand through her hair, bit her lip, and averted her stare from Sydney's to glance firmly at the ground. Robin hated himself for how adorable he found these movements of rare unsureness in Regina.

"Hi, Sydney. I'm sorry to say that Regina will not be able to go to the dance with you. She's going with me," Robin heard himself tell Sydney blatantly, not sounding even the slightest bit sorry. Robin, who was refusing to look directly at Regina, saw her head whip over to look at him in bewilderment out of the corner of his eye. He held confident eye contact with Sydney for a few seconds longer, before meeting Regina's eyes instead.

She looked baffled. And perhaps as though intrigued by his audacity. And perhaps just the tiniest bit amused. But she did not look angry. And that was really all Robin was going for.

"Regina?" Sydney asked confusedly, glancing back and forth between Robin and Regina desperately. If it hadn't been for the fact that Sydney was attempting to make a play for Regina, Robin would have felt sorry for him.

Regina looked at Robin for another very long moment, as though heavily weighing all the possible outcomes of her next response.

"Yes, that's right. I'm going with Robin, Sydney, I'm sorry," Regina responded calmly, sighing deeply, conveying a very convincing sympathetic glance to Sydney. It took a tragic amount of effort for Robin to not react to this, as his insides were soaring. He couldn't lie, he was shocked she'd agreed.

"Oh, well, that's alright. I'll see you later, Regina," Sydney responded quickly, looking so overcome with embarrassment and disappointment that he might die from a combination of the two emotions on the spot. Robin, on the other hand, was scintillating.

As Sydney trudged away, with his metaphorical tail completely between his legs, Regina turned to face Robin.

" _Thank_ you, I was dying there," Regina said, letting out a brief chuckle of relief. Robin was surprised by this comment, he'd been more so anticipating a biting jab about how he disregarded her wishes, or something sarcastic and irritable.

"My pleasure," Robin heard himself respond easily, doing his very best to fight the grin that wanted to spread across his face.

"Of course, you don't actually have to take me to the dance, you know," Regina continued quickly, staring into Robin's eyes anxiously. There it was. There was the reason for her calmness. She thought that he was just trying to help get her out of an awkward encounter with Sydney, as a friendly favor. Of course she thought that. Robin should've known.

But he was absolutely not going to give up so easily, he resolved. He had somehow managed to lure her onto this hook, he sure as hell was not going to let her off of it.

"Oh, I'm definitely taking you to the dance," Robin informed her seriously, arching an eyebrow.

"Robin-" Regina began to interrupt, shaking her head doubtfully. Robin held up a finger, silencing her.

"Don't even try. I'll pick you up at seven," Robin ended the conversation, forcing himself to walk away so that she couldn't argue anymore. As he walked away from her, he could just feel her disapprovingly shaking her head. But he could also feel her smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alright, so in the middle of this chapter it's going to switch to Robin's perspective, and then back to Regina's, and I'm sure fanfiction won't let me separate it as usual, so just try and pay attention for that, I apologize. Also, this is a long ass chapter, so I also apologize for that.**

 **Chapter 8**

Regina was nervous. Not just slightly uncomfortable and anxious, she was _nervous._ She knew that going to this dance with Robin was going to lead to nothing but problems, as she found herself increasingly unable to deny the way she had somehow started to feel about him.

She found herself thinking about him all the time. She thought about what had happened between them at Killian's party, or maybe about how her heart stopped every time he looked at her, which had become a pretty frequent occurrence between them. Honestly, she knew it was extremely irrational to continue insisting there was nothing between them when there so clearly was, based on how much time they spent glancing at one another and unnecessarily touching. When she was with her friends and he wasn't there, she secretly missed him and fixated on what he might be doing instead, or what might be more important to him than her and her friends. Of course, this was ridiculously irrational, as the only things that took Robin away from her were football and Roland. And on that subject, she thought about how frustratingly perfect Robin was with Roland, and how when she'd been with the two of them that night she'd babysat, she'd felt truly content for the first time in a very, very long time. And, though she had never much enjoyed it when other girls flirted with Robin or looked at him in more than a friendly way, she had recently started to become legitimately jealous when it happened. She felt as though she had some unspoken claim to him, when she knew that she actually had none, which was only because she refused to take any. Essentially, she knew that somehow, against all of her better judgement and contrary to anything she had expected for herself, she had started falling in love with Robin Locksley.

And now she was going to a dance with him. She was going to dress herself up for him, and she could already imagine the look he would give her when he saw her. _His_ look. The one of pure admiration and intrigue that made Regina's heart stop. She was going to dance with him, his hands were going to spend a vast majority of the evening on her body. And she simply did not know how she was going to be able to resist him. How she was possibly going to force herself to keep him at arm's length, and not allow him to convince her to just let her irrational fears go and let him in. She knew she wanted that, and she suspected she'd wanted that since the moment she'd met him. That's why he was so incredibly irritating to her when he'd first entered her life, because she saw the danger he presented to her. She felt her attraction to him, she felt how much she enjoyed talking to him and enjoyed his presence, and she subconsciously saw all the ways he could ruin her. She knew she could fall in love with him, and all she knew of love was Daniel. And all Daniel had taught her was that love inevitably led to pure, unadulterated heartbreak. And she was just terrified of what she knew Robin could do to her.

Regina was just trying to remain calm and _not_ think about Robin while she, Emma, and Mary Margaret got ready for the dance together. They were all occupying Regina's, granted, rather large bathroom. An amalgamation of all their combined makeup products and hair tools were strewn over the countertop. The three of them had spent every night of the week attempting to find dresses for the dance, and Regina could quite confidently say that they had all been extremely successful.

Emma, in her usual bold and spunky fashion, had selected a strapless, skin tight, bright red dress that barely made it to the middle of her thighs. Emma was particularly athletic and was potentially the only person Regina knew with the body to pull off such a number. Regina shuddered to think about what kind of comments Cora would make if she even dreamt of it. Contrary to her normal, relaxed waves, Emma had straightened her long, blonde hair so that it hung almost to the small of her back. Her makeup was smoky and dark, and she basically looked like the most basic image of every guy's dream. Regina was amused just thinking about how Killian would react to her. On the other hand, Mary Margaret, in her usual sweet and lovely fashion, had chosen a soft, light purple bubble shaped dress, with thin spaghetti straps and a flared skirt that, naturally, hit just the appropriate but still attractive place on her legs. She had blow dried her long, chestnut brown hair so that just the ends were curled, and then styled it in a graceful and gentle half up-half down style. She was lovely, as always.

"David just texted me, they're pulling up outside," Mary Margaret informed Regina and Emma, as the three girls stood in front of Regina's full length mirror putting on their finishing touches.

"I can't believe that Gold is going stag," Emma said, shaking her head in amusement. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe he's coming at all," she replied wryly. Mary Margaret laughed.

"He went freshman year!" she protested, chuckling. Gold hadn't quite made it to their sophomore year dance, as he said he would 'rather hang himself' than spend his night at such a mainstream and pointless event. God only knows what he actually spent that night doing.

"Oh my gosh, when he went with Mila Pirateson!" Emma giggled. The three of them cracked up at the memory of Gold taking their grade's most fiery and ferocious drinker to the homecoming dance. Mila had shown up to pictures at Regina's already completely drunk, and Gold had been forced to spend the entire night taking care of her and making sure she didn't die. And then at the end of the night, she'd thrown up all over him anyways. What a night.

"In his defense, I can't say that I would be particularly eager to go to another school dance either," Regina said, grinning. The three of them laughed again.

"They're here, they're here, let's go downstairs!" Mary Margaret exclaimed excitedly. Normally, Regina would have made fun of Snow for being so pathetically sentimental and excitable, but Regina was in no place to mock, as her heart rate seemed to nearly double at Snow's words. Robin was downstairs. He was here, she was going to see him. Oh, God. This was going to be an absolute disaster.

Regina took one last look at herself in the mirror, fixed her hair a few times, flashed herself a quick smile for encouragement, and then she followed Mary Margaret and Emma down the stairs of her house.

—

Robin was nervous. He was _very_ nervous. The kind of nervous that prevented thoughts of anything other than his source of anxiety from being considered. And he knew that Regina was nervous, which made him even more so. She had been… different with him, since he'd asked her to the dance. Not necessarily different in a bad way, but different, nonetheless. More shy, perhaps? More uncertain? He couldn't quite classify what the change meant, but he was relatively positive that it wasn't a bad thing. Just a new thing. And any change in his relationship with Regina made him nervous, because it was practically all he could ever think about.

Roland had been ecstatic to find out that Robin was taking Regina to the dance with him ("When is Gina coming back over to play with me?" had been asked about a thousand times), but was considerably less pleased to find out that this did not entail that he would get to see her the night of the dance. Robin's father, Tuck Locksley, who seemed to have plainly perceived the growing change in Robin's demeanor as he fell more and more for Regina, had also been rather excited for him. He had even forced Robin to go out and buy a new suit for the occasion. Robin and Regina had agreed that, as Regina's dress was black, Robin would just wear a classic black suit, white button down, and black tie. And he'd gotten her a red rose flower corsage, for a little bit of color.

Getting ready, Robin couldn't stop himself from envisioning how absurdly beautiful Regina was going to look, and the fact that, for once, it was actually going to be acceptable for him to tell her so, and to clearly show affection towards her. He'd ended up being ready almost half an hour ahead of schedule, leaving him with nothing to do but pace anxiously around his house, much to the amusement of his father.

And the fact that, naturally, as Killian had been left in charge of the transportation arrangements, their seating arrangement was less than preferable did not do much to ease Robin's nerves. Killian's brother, Liam, had graciously allowed them to use his car for the evening, however, the car only seated five people. So it was a good thing their group had seven. Killian had nonchalantly waved this inconvenience aside with 'double buckle, it's a good excuse to have a girl on your lap!'. Not that Robin didn't relish the thought of Regina on his lap, but he doubted she would be quite as keen on the idea as he was.

"Alright let's pick up the pace guys, I told Mary Margaret we'd be here like five minutes ago!" David called out to Robin, Killian and Gold as he practically sprinted through the lawn of Regina's house and up the steps.

"Could you _be_ anymore anal, David?" Killian responded, earning genuine laughs from Gold and Robin. Robin was grateful for the humor, it distracted him from his rapidly increasing nerves. He could've sworn that he could practically hear his own heart beat.

"Maybe if you were more anal, your girlfriend wouldn't hate you," David retorted pointedly, raising his eyebrows. Killian scowled, and Gold and Robin cracked up again.

"Swan is not my girlfriend," Killian protested feebly, just as David rang the doorbell to the Mills home.

Within about 10 seconds, Mary Margaret opened the door for them and let them into the house. As David affectionately embraced Mary Margaret in the atrium of Regina's home, Robin, Killian, and Gold awkwardly hovered around them in the spacious opening hallway. After another awkward second, David and Mary Margaret broke apart, and Mary Margaret smiled at them all.

"Regina and Emma are coming, sorry. REGINA, EMMA!" Mary Margaret practically bellowed up the stairs.

" _Why_ are you always so hopelessly anal?" Robin heard Regina snark in response from up the stairs. This made him, Killian, and Gold erupt into laughter again at the irony. Mary Margaret and David truly were a match made in heaven. However, he didn't have much time to think about this, because Emma and Regina had just appeared at the foot of the stairway.

Emma was donning a short, tight, bright red dress, and long, straight blonde hair; so Robin could only imagine what was going through Killian's head right about now.

"I take it back. She is so my girlfriend," Killian muttered under his breath to Robin. And perhaps, if Regina hadn't chosen that moment to descend the stairs, Robin might have laughed at this comment. But Regina had just entered his vision, and he seemed to have lost the ability to think about anything else.

Regina had chosen a rather sultry, strapless black dress, which was fitted at the top and slightly flared at the bottom. Robin was reasonably convinced that it had to be breaking some kind of law, the way that dress clung so perfectly to her every curve. He didn't know how he could possibly be expected _not_ to be so attracted to her, he was only human, after all. Not to mention the fact that she had curled her long, ebony hair into thick, defined waves that fell just to the middle of her breasts (and these certainly weren't lacking either, Robin couldn't help noticing). Robin had always been particularly entranced by Regina's hair… He constantly found himself considering how soft it was, and how he just wanted to tangle his hands into it… Besides the point. He also noticed that her eye makeup was significantly smokier and darker than normal, and it made her already wonderfully intriguing chocolate brown eyes appear even more gorgeous. And she'd stained her lips an even darker shade of red than was normal for her. Her flawless, fair skin seemed to almost reflect in contrast to the darkness of her dress, and of her hair, and of her eyes, and of her lips… And it was just stunning.

Robin hardly even knew how to react to her, as she fully descended the staircase to stand by his side.

"Hi," she said casually, shooting him her typical, dry yet still genuine smile that had him going weak in the knees. It took him way too long to come up with a response, as he was unable to focus on anything other than how absurdly gorgeous she looked. How had he possibly managed to get her to be his date? Scratch that, how had he convinced her that he deserved the right to even be in her presence at all?

There was something so… dark in her. Mysterious. Alluring. Darkness wasn't really something Robin had ever expected himself to be attracted to, but he was very quickly learning that it was, in fact, so attractive to him that he could barely see straight. Her dark hair, her dark eyes, her dark lips, the way she typically dressed in dark clothing… It was entrancing. Even her personality had something… dark about it. Her dryness, her sarcasm, her intelligence… she was just so… enticing. And Robin was completely bewitched.

"Regina, you look… stunning. In every way," Robin heard himself tell her softly. He really meant it. He was mesmerized. And the adorably shy grin and blush that his compliment earned certainly didn't make him any less charmed. It made him realize just how much he liked her recent timidness… It literally tugged on his heart. The thought that _he_ could make her weak, just for a second, made him want to spend the rest of his life earning that shy little smile and blush. Her chocolate brown eyes met his and he could feel himself losing yet another train of thought.

"Thank you," she said quietly, a soft smile of appreciation tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her wonderfully stained red lips then reminded him of the rose corsage he had for her.

"Right, I almost forgot," Robin said, as he slipped his hand into his pocket to disclose the box containing the corsage.

"Robin, it's gorgeous," Regina said breathlessly, fully grinning at him. It was rare to see her smile that way, and he would have done almost anything to keep that smile on her face forever.

"It'll fit right in then. Wrist, please," Robin flirted with her easily, returning her infectious smile. Regina's flush deepened slightly as he slid the corsage onto her small wrist. He loved how naturally their banter came.

"Smooth, thief," Regina responded sarcastically, with a playful smile. Oh, the things Robin wanted to be doing with that mouth…-

He was right in the middle of considering this, when Cora Mills made her first appearance of the evening. Dressed in a a professional, all black pantsuit, she looked exactly like she did at school every other time Robin had seen her. Like she would tear him limb from limb if he even looked at Regina the wrong way. Unfortunately for Robin, he didn't think he was even capable of _not_ looking at Regina the wrong way right now. He was a man, she was a goddess, after all.

Robin hated the way he felt Regina tense next to him at her arrival. Robin really hoped that everyone had been exaggerating about how Cora enjoyed insulting Regina, because, quite frankly, he didn't know if he could stand to witness it.

"Mrs. Mills, lovely to see you!" Killian announced clamorously, flashing his most charming smile. Cora seemed unaffected by any of Killian's charm, however. The fact that he already had his arm rather immodestly snaked around Emma's waist probably didn't help matters. Cora just blatantly ignored Emma. Emma irritably rolled her eyes at this as soon as Cora turned around, which made Robin have to fight the urge to laugh.

"Good evening, Mr. Jones. Mr. Gold," Cora responded coolly to Killian, as she offered a curt head nod to Gold, who was awkwardly looming in the corner pretending to throw up at all the affection transpiring between his friends. Though he was certainly a pain in the ass with his pessimism, Robin couldn't deny that Gold secretly cracked him up.

"Mrs. Mills, thank you for letting us use your house for pictures, as we have practically every other year," David stepped in to diffuse the tension, offering his hand to Cora's. For the first time, Cora smiled in response, and firmly shook his hand.

"Wonderful to see you, David, Mary Margaret," she greeted them kindly, briefly touching Mary Margaret's shoulder. It was almost amusing how little shame Cora seemed to possess about her obvious favoritism amongst Regina's friends. And it was equally how amusing how used to it they all were.

"Um, Mother, this is-" Regina tentatively began from next to Robin, obviously intending to introduce him to her mother. Robin attempted to put his most charming face on, but he knew that his chances of earning Cora's approval were slim, as she knew about his criminal record. And the fact that she was just disagreeable in general.

"Mr. Locksley," Cora interrupted, her previous cold tone returning from when she'd been addressing Gold and Killian.

"It's so nice to see you, Mrs. Mills. Thank you for letting us use your home, and for allowing me to take Regina to the dance," Robin heard himself offer her suavely. Cora arched an eyebrow dryly, seemingly amused at something that Robin was unaware of.

"Oh, thank you, for taking her," Cora responded aloofly, chuckling without even the slightest bit of humor. There wasn't exactly anything wrong with her words, per se, but he knew that she meant it to be some kind of passive aggressive dig at Regina for not being desirable. Which, considering Robin's current complete infatuation and amazement with her, was practically a joke. Robin noticed one of Regina's hands curl into a tight fist by her side as she struggled not to react. Robin couldn't fathom how Regina had grown up in this environment and somehow turned out as strong as she had… Robin also realized that this probably played a large part in why Regina was so infinitely guarded with her emotions.

Thankfully, Mary Margaret also seemed to perceive Regina's growing discomfort.

"So, pictures?" she suggested hastily, disguising her attempt at diffusing the situation with her bright and infectious smile. Robin noticed that Mary Margaret, in addition to Regina and Emma, did also look rather pretty. He momentarily pitied Gold for not being able to be with the person he wanted to be with tonight.

"Great idea!" David chimed in, pressing a chaste kiss to Mary Margaret's cheek.

The procession made their way into Regina's living room, which was, indeed, quite beautiful. It was very modern, and clean. Robin could understand why the group so preferred to take their pictures here, however, he could not understand how this room made dealing with Cora worth it…

Cora wasn't even really necessary for a majority of the picture taking. Most of the pictures were taken on their cellphones by one another, she was only useful for the group pictures. After taking pictures of the other couples, and due to the fact that Gold blatantly refused to take any pictures of anyone, Robin and Regina were the last to get their photo session. Emma had graciously volunteered to be the photographer.

Robin and Regina stood in front of the fireplace, awkwardly trying to determine how they should stand.

"Jesus, could the two of you be any more awkward?" Emma insulted them, cracking up. She walked over to them and literally grabbed Robin's arm, wrapping it around Regina's waist. As if on instinct, his hand easily settled on her curve, and he absolutely despised himself for just how much even this slight amount of contact… excited him.

"Alright, Regina, put your hand on Robin's chest," Emma ordered, retreating back to her previous position as the photographer. Regina arched an eyebrow, before reluctantly doing as Emma ordered. Oh, God, Robin was potentially the most pathetic and helpless human being in the entire universe right now…

"Would it kill you both to smile? Do I have to do everything?" Emma mocked, as she began eagerly snapping the camera away.

"Regina, dear, angle yourself differently. That is not a flattering angle," Cora suddenly called out from her vantage point across the room, where she'd been judgmentally hovering ever since her job as group photographer had become unnecessary. There it was. They hadn't been kidding. Regina's cheeks flushed, Robin didn't know whether with anger or with discomfort, but either way, Robin had to fight the urge to scream at Cora.

"You look gorgeous, you're fine," Emma disagreed immediately, rolling her eyes at Cora. Robin had never appreciated the blonde more.

After a few more uncomfortable minutes of picture taking, during which Regina had fallen almost completely silent, the group finally made their way out of the Mills house, and down the street to where Killian's car was parked.

"If any of you even _suggest_ that we take pictures there next year, I will personally make it my life's mission to destroy your happiness," Regina snarked furiously, moments after escaping from the house. Everyone cracked up, but Robin suspected that Regina really wasn't joking.

"Goodness, has your mother always been that awful to you? I feel like I don't remember her always being so evil," Mary Margaret replied, shaking her head. Regina glared at her.

"Oh, believe me, this is nothing new. Glad you've finally noticed, amidst all the compliments she gives you," Regina responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I, personally, think your mother is lovely, Regina," Gold interjected, smirking, knowing how annoyed this would make Regina. She arched an eyebrow.

"That's funny, because she absolutely despises you," Regina replied bitingly with a playful grin. Gold grinned.

"Wait, does she prefer me or Gold?" Killian asked, smirking mischievously. Robin could see that Killian was only asking to amuse Regina and make her feel better, and Robin momentarily appreciated him for it.

"Honestly, she hates you both, but probably Gold," Regina responded, half smiling.

"Damn it. Alright well, here we are folks," Killian announced, as they arrived at his brother's parked car. Emma gaped at him.

"What the hell do you mean 'here we are'? This car is definitely not fitting all of us," she said doubtfully.

"Sorry, love, best I could do," Killian said, shrugging, opening the door to the driver's seat.

"How are we supposed to sit, exactly?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly.

"Mary Margaret, you sit on David's lap, Regina can sit on Robin's, and-"

"And _I_ get shotgun," Emma interrupted Killian defiantly, crossing her arms. Gold's eyebrows shot up in protest almost immediately.

"Um, excuse me, you cannot seriously be expecting me to sit in the _middle_ of these four, Ms. Swan?!" Gold said incredulously, desperately looking at Killian for backup. Robin honestly couldn't care less about the seating arrangement, so long as Regina was on his lap… Good lord, he was disgusting.

Everyone cracked up at Gold's misfortune.

"Sorry, mate. What the lady says goes," Killian said, shrugging and chuckling nonchalantly. Gold groaned.

"Starting Monday, I make new friends," he muttered irritably, shaking his head and climbing into the car sadly.

On instinct, Robin held the door open for Regina.

"Unless you were intending to sit on _my_ lap, I'm reasonably sure that you need to get in first," Regina commented sarcastically, arching one perfect eyebrow. Robin fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead for being such an idiot.

"Perhaps I _was_ planning on sitting on your lap?"

"I would have to politely decline, I'm afraid, thief."

"I see. You on my lap it is then."

Robin climbed into the car, and then attempted to help Regina situate herself without seeming overly… eager. As soon as they were both comfortably situated, Robin forced himself to drop his hands from her body. As much as it pained him to not be touching her, he did not want her to think he expected anything from her.

Once everyone was situated, Killian vigorously put the car in drive, and sped off down the road. Robin feared for his safety almost immediately. Killian also began blasting popular rap music from the stereo to 'get everyone feeling lit', destroying any potential for good group chatter. The only person Robin would even be able to hear with the loudness of the music was Regina. Not that he had much interest in listening to other people anyways.

"Jesus Christ, Killian, could you play literally _anything_ else? At _any_ other volume?" David complained loudly, shaking his head. Everyone laughed except Killian.

"Absolutely not, I'm driving and I get to pick the music," Killian snapped, as he turned the music up even louder.

"And thank _God,_ you're the one driving," Regina snarked quietly, so that only Robin could hear. He laughed.

Robin looked over to see a very uncomfortable looking Gold, who had made the decision to lean forward from his middle seat and try and converse with Killian and Emma, rather than looking to his right or left at Regina and Robin or Mary Margaret and David. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret and David were clearly not minding the seating arrangement at all, and had just essentially started making out in their corner of the car. Robin himself didn't mind the seating arrangement either, except for the fact that he was having to fight every muscle in his body that was dying to be able to touch Regina on his lap.

"Charming," Regina said quietly, referring to Snow and David, rolling her eyes. Robin again laughed, but it must have been clear that his discomfort was showing. Regina changed the angle of her body, so that she was somewhat facing him.

"Could you look a little bit more uncomfortable?" Regina mused, raising an eyebrow. Robin rolled his eyes, as though what she'd said was ridiculous.

"I am perfectly comfortable," Robin protested.

"Is my tremendous weight crushing you?" Regina asked sarcastically, with a dry smile at her reference to how horrible Cora was. Robin rolled his eyes again, disliking that she was even joking about that.

"You are completely ridiculous."

"Is that why you're so obviously refusing to put your hands anywhere near my body?"

Robin was surprised that she was calling him out so directly. It wasn't as though he was refraining from touching her because he _wanted_ to… He assumed it was what she would want.

"You are not seriously suggesting that you think I'm not touching you right now because of your 'tremendous weight'?" Robin replied, unable to resist laughing. He loved it when Regina joked with him. Regina grinned.

"I can't think of any other option," she responded, arching an eyebrow challengingly. Robin couldn't deny that he was surprised by how… suggestive she was being right now. But he certainly wasn't complaining, and took her comment as an invitation. Robin easily placed his hands on Regina's hips and pulled her closer to his chest. He swore he heard her breath catch in her throat.

"I didn't realize you wanted me to," Robin whispered in her ear. Regina shivered, and her hands fumbled around until they found the collar of Robin's shirt.

"I'm here, aren't I?" she breathed, briefly pressing her forehead against his. Robin felt as though he might pass out. But she pulled away just as quickly as she'd come, before anyone in the car could notice what had just happened.

—

Things were going… wonderfully and horribly at the same time. Wonderfully, because Regina was having potentially the best time she'd had in two years, spending the evening with Robin. He was… perfect. Regina could've sworn that she was going to pass out when she saw him waiting for her at the bottom of her staircase. He was so handsome, it shouldn't even be legal. His dark blonde hair was tidier than normal, and he'd shaved his wonderfully sexy facial scruff to just the perfect amount, and his suit fit him in a practically criminal way. He was just ridiculously attractive, so much so, that all of Regina's ideas of behaving herself and firmly keeping her hands off of him seemed to evaporate into thin air the second she saw him. Which leads right into why things were also going horribly. She hadn't even made it an hour without practically begging him to touch her. She had literally no self control left, and suddenly felt strangled by the complexity of her own feelings.

She just wanted… _not_ to want him. That's all she wished for, she was just so afraid of him. Of what he could do to her. She had already decided that he wasn't what she needed, that he wasn't going to be good for her, yet even she didn't know if she believed that anymore. She knew it was dangerous to question it, but she just couldn't help it. But how could she not waver while she was sitting on Robin's lap, with his hands on her hips, him whispering in her ear… Damn it.

Having just arrived at school, fashionably late of course, Regina and her friends made their way down the newly decorated hallways towards the gymnasium. Regina momentarily reminisced to how horrible Daniel had made her night last year, when he had made his debut into the wild drinking and partying scene. Daniel had gotten so simultaneously drunk and high that Regina had been forced to spend the night with him in his _car,_ repeatedly helping him while he barfed his brains out and holding him while he shivered, because she knew she couldn't let him go home in such a state, nor could she just leave him like that. She used this horrible memory as a comfort mechanism, to reason with herself that at least this night, though emotionally confusing, was not last year's dance.

"Wow, the decorating committee really went all out, I see," Gold commented sarcastically, as they entered the gym. Essentially, all the lights were just turned out, and were replaced with flashing colored lights in their stead. Some basic decorations were strewn about the walls, but overall, it was very underwhelming, apart from the pretty lit DJ that was blasting music throughout the very echoing gymnasium. Regina honestly couldn't care less about the decorations, it was the music that mattered, and Storybrook High had managed to nail at least that much.

"Sorry to disappoint, Gold. Perhaps you should take over the committee for next year?" Regina teased, smirking. Gold glared at her, and everyone else laughed.

"Let's go dance!" Mary Margaret exclaimed excitedly, grabbing David's hand and pulling him out to the already very crowded dance floor. In turn, Emma glanced over at Killian as though waiting for him to ask her to dance as well.

"Later, love. I've taken it upon myself to handle spiking the punch this year," Killian said deviously, briefly flashing a flask hidden in his suit jacket. Emma groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Why do I keep agreeing to go to social events with you? Alright, let's get this over with," the blonde conceded reluctantly, shaking her head and dragging Killian in the direction of the punch bowl. This left Gold, Robin, and Regina alone at the opening of the gym.

"What are your plans for the evening, Gold? Besides complaining about the lack of ambiance?" Regina asked Gold, arching an eyebrow.

"Aren't you witty tonight, your Majesty?" Gold snapped in response, shooting her another glare. Just at that moment, however, Belle French came into Regina's vision. She was wearing an adorably sweet but still attractive yellow dress, and Regina noticed that she seemed to be lacking a date. And then it all made sense.

"Oh. My. God," Robin said suddenly, as he clearly saw Belle and put the pieces together himself. Regina glanced over at him and they both cracked up. Regina expected Gold to yell at them, but he was too pathetically entranced by Belle to even notice that they were mocking him.

"Go on then, Grandpa, go get her!" Robin encouraged Gold, shoving his shoulder lightly, snapping him out of his trance. Regina continued laughing.

"And why would I do that?" Gold snarked bitingly. Regina and Robin exchanged a glance.

"I'm suddenly recalling a particular instance when Robin and I caught you and a certain maiden having a… _moment-"_ Regina began before Gold hastily cut her off.

"Die."

"Come on, mate, you don't have to be ashamed with us," Robin interjected, playfully rumpling Gold's hair. Gold recoiled from Robin's hand immediately to glare at them both.

"You're right, I most certainly do not, because I also recall noticing a certain thief and evil queen about to engage in a very similar kind of moment," Gold retorted pointedly, raising an eyebrow. This shut Regina and Robin up.

"Have a good evening, then," Robin said awkwardly.

"Tell Belle we say hello," Regina added uncomfortably. Gold smirked, before walking away to go and speak to Belle, leaving Regina and Robin alone.

"So, shall we?" Robin asked, after a slightly awkward moment of perplexity, gesturing to the dance floor. Regina knew this was going to be the death of her. The DJ had just started playing a particularly sensual song, and she knew there was no way this was going to lead to anything but trouble… She should probably suggest an alternative activity to sexual dancing with Robin. But she didn't.

"Sounds like a plan."

Clearly, Robin was also expecting their dancing to be something that shouldn't be witnessed by their friends, and purposely picked a spot far away from David and Mary Margaret. Now sufficiently surrounded by teenage strangers grinding on each other, Robin offered Regina one of his hands. She took a brief second to say farewell to all of her self control and emotional stability before she took it.

They started off slow. He pulled her closer, but not so close that her chest was pressed to his. He continued to hold onto one of her hands as they awkwardly danced together, before Robin finally seemed to have just had enough of the awkwardness, and just forcefully pulled her all the way into his chest by her one hand. Regina felt her breath catch in her throat as she found herself painstakingly close to Robin's face. He gently placed his hands on the curves of her waist, and she fumbled around until hers found the collar of his shirt (he'd ditched his suit jacket in Killian's car, and now looked painfully sexy in just his shirt and tie). Regina began swaying her body in time with the music, and Robin's hands slightly tightened around her. Although somewhat tense at first, they both began… loosening up pathetically quickly. Robin's hands easily made their way down to her hips, occasionally to her ass, as she just let loose with her dancing. And she could… _feel_ that Robin was certainly enjoying it.

At some point, Regina just completely lost herself in the song and in Robin. Nothing other than thoughts of the feeling of Robin's hands on her body, or the way his chiseled chest felt against her hands, of how much closer she wanted to be to him, and how incredible it felt to be so close to him at all crossed her mind. Of his intoxicating scent, the warmth of his breath…

As the song came to an end, one of Regina's hands tangled around Robin's tie, and she lightly tugged on it, as she made eye contact with him for the first time since the song started. He was looking at her with his look, like he had never seen anything more beautiful than her in his entire life. Robin lightly pressed his forehead against hers, and she couldn't think, or breathe, or…

"Regina…" Robin murmured, slightly tightening his grip around her waist so that he could pull her impossibly closer to his chest. Her hands instinctively tightened around the collar of his shirt. She couldn't think of anything other than how badly she just wanted to kiss him. And the fact that they hadn't broken eye contact yet certainly wasn't helping her become any more coherent.

Regina was about to try and muster up some response, when a new, slower, sweeter song began in the distant background of her thoughts. Robin broke their rather intense moment, by wrapping one of his arms tightly around her waist, and then gently entwining the fingers of his other hand with hers to adjust appropriately to the new song. In doing so, however, he somehow managed not to put any space between his chest and hers. Regina sighed as she buried her face into his shoulder for a brief moment, allowing herself to fully take in how amazing he smelled. She felt Robin's chin gently resting on her forehead, and she could've sworn that, just for a second, he lightly pressed his lips into her hair.

After a few more seconds of this, she found herself lost in the song and in her mind again. She was thinking very different thoughts this time, though. She took a very simple moment to just plainly and honestly analyze her feelings for Robin. She thought about him constantly. She missed him when he was gone. When she was with him, she felt like everything horrible that had happened to her in the past two years was somehow going to be okay, as long as he was there. He made her heart race, he made her stomach flip over, he made her _want_ him, in a way she'd never wanted anything or anyone before. He understood her, her thoughts and her feelings and her eccentricities and her walls and the things that made her difficult, in a way that nobody ever had. And when he looked at her, she knew that he saw something beautiful, damaged and complicated, but beautiful anyways. She considered how miserable she had been over the summer, isolated and separated from all her friends, yet unable to face any of them. How many thousand times she'd cried for her father, and for Henry, and for Daniel. She'd felt like she was just broken, and unfixable, and that nobody could ever love something so damaged. She'd felt like she could never be happy again, not until she got the hell out of high school, and out of Storybrook. But Robin Locksley, against all odds, had come along and, not even intentionally, begun mending all the brokenness in her life. Regina found that she'd fallen back into comfort with her friends, and that she felt like… herself again. Perhaps a different version of herself, but a version that could easily be recognized. Like she felt at home in the world again. And she knew how big a part of that world Robin had become. The only reason she was so determined not to be with him was simply out of fear. Fear that he would leave her, or be taken from her, and that she'd end up even more broken than she was before. But… she was just so exhausted, and tired of acting like she didn't feel about him the way that she did. She let herself envision what it would be like to give in and be with him. To be able to talk to him as often and as much as she pleased, to not have to settle for their accidental touches in class to satisfy her, but instead be allowed to kiss him, or hold his hand, or have his arm wrapped around her… And Regina finally considered that maybe Robin Locksley was exactly what she wanted, _and_ exactly what she needed. He was a risk that she was going to have to take, it seemed.

"Robin…" Regina said softly into his ear, seemingly snatching him out of his own deep train of thought. Robin looked down at her again, and they continued casually swaying to the next slow song that had just begun.

"I think… it's possible that I might have been wrong about something," Regina heard herself tentatively begin. Robin raised both his eyebrows, and half smiled.

"And what might that be?"

"Is it possible that… you and I… might not be the worst idea in the world?" Regina asked softly. Robin grinned.

"I think that is a possibility, yes," he agreed playfully, as he continued to stare at her with that pure, unadulterated look of admiration.

"I also think that this might not be the most ideal place to discuss this, agreed?" Robin replied gently, pressing his lips against Regina's ear briefly. She shivered…

"Agreed."

Regina allowed herself to be pulled through the dimly lit hallways of their school by Robin, her heart completely racing in anticipation. She wasn't particularly paying attention to where he was taking her, until he made a sharp turn into a classroom, and closed the door behind him. Even in the very dim lighting of the room, which came from the moonlight streaming in from the open window, Regina clearly recognized that this was she and Robin's chemistry classroom.

"You _would_ pick the chemistry lab," Regina snarked, shaking her head and chuckling. Robin half smiled, and a bit awkwardly leaned back against the wall, and Regina, in turn, leaned against one of the lab tables directly across from him.

"It seemed appropriate," he replied simply, shrugging. Regina arched an eyebrow.

"And why is that, thief?" she asked him wryly, despite the fact that she knew exactly why. Robin smiled and briefly broke their eye contact.

"Because it's the place we first met. And, unless I'm entirely mistaken, it's about to be the place where I'm first allowed to do this," Robin said, before, much to Regina's genuine surprise, he crossed over to where she was standing and urgently pressed his lips against hers. He gently tangled his hands into her hair, and she felt her own hands instinctively move to the sides of his chest, as she returned his urgency. Regina would feel comfortable saying that this was the best kiss she had ever been a part of. After another moment or two, Robin's hands easily moved to her waist so that they could almost effortlessly lift her up to sit on the desk. He had done this the first time they'd kissed in Killian's guest room as well, it was as though he didn't want her to have to look up at him. It was highly considerate and highly attractive at the same time. How very, very, Robin.

Regina easily entwined her dangling legs around Robin's standing ones, as she moved her hands to hold his face to hers. Meanwhile, Robin's moved downwards so that they could very enjoyably grip around her thighs, and pull her slightly closer to him. Regina inhaled sharply into his lips at this very attractive movement, which made Robin chuckle lightly. This seemed to break them out of their rather ridiculous passion, and remind them that they were supposed to be having a conversation.

Robin slightly pulled away from her, with a light kiss to her forehead and to her nose, which made Regina smile widely, much to her embarrassment. She hated herself for how pathetically happy she probably looked.

"It's a good thing my mother is the principal of this school, and we're making out in a classroom," Regina said quietly. Robin laughed softly, before moving one of his hands to run over her cheek, and lightly tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"And an even better one that she isn't at school right now," he breathed in response, briefly kissing her lips again. Regina's heart sped even more as his hands settled back onto her thighs.

"Robin… what does this mean?" Regina finally summoned the courage to ask him quietly. Robin was silent for a moment.

"What does what mean, exactly?" he asked slowly in response, looking deeply into her eyes again.

"This. The fact that we always end up… well, here," she answered, sighing, and letting out an ironic chuckle. Robin half smiled again.

"I, personally, like it here quite a bit," he joked, smirking. Regina rolled her eyes, but smiled, in spite of herself.

"I suppose there are worse places to end up," she admitted. Robin laughed, but seemed to understand that she wanted a legitimate answer.

"What do you want it to mean?" Robin asked her, in response to her first question. For some reason, she hadn't been expecting this question. She'd just kind of hoped that he'd step in and do all the emotional revealing himself, so that she wouldn't have to. Of course, he would thwart her plans with his unending consideration for her feelings and wishes. Classic.

Regina bit her lip, and looked away awkwardly. Expressing vulnerable emotions had never been a particular talent of hers. Robin seemed to catch onto her discomfort.

"Ah, I see. It's going to be my job to do all the emotional talking, isn't it?" Robin quipped gently, smiling at her in a way that she really didn't deserve. Regina felt a particularly strong surge of affection for him with that, and she felt herself grin at him as she nodded sympathetically. Robin chuckled, and lightly ran one of his hands over her cheek and through her hair again.

"Are you asking me what this means to me, specifically, or what it means for the future?" Robin questioned.

"Both."

"I think you know what it means to me," Robin chided lightly, raising an eyebrow at her affectionately. Regina flushed.

"Tell me anyways."

"As you wish, your Majesty. Against all my better judgement, I seem to have completely fallen in love with you, and, as far as the future goes, quite frankly, if you shoot me down again, I don't know what I'll do," Robin confessed honestly, shaking his head, and laughing. Regina's heart swooned at hearing the word 'love' come out of his mouth. And the insecure part of her was relieved that he did actually reciprocate her feelings.

"I see. And if I told you that I returned your feelings?" Regina responded, raising an eyebrow. Robin grinned.

"I just might be the happiest thief alive."

"Then I return your feelings," Regina told him, before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pressing her lips back to his. Robin smiled into her kiss, before pulling away again to gently kiss her nose. Regina could feel herself staring at him, perhaps too intensely.

"What?" Robin murmured curiously, clearly taking notice of her sudden intensity.

"I just… never thought I'd have this again," Regina heard herself whisper softly, staring into Robin's eyes in a rare moment of vulnerability. Robin's glance softened even more at this.

"Maybe… things work out when they're supposed to?" he suggested gently, smiling at her warmly.

"Maybe."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Do y'all like it when I switch between Regina and Robin's POV during chapters, or do you like it to just be from one of their perspectives per chapter, or would you like me to just keep it Regina's? Comment your thoughts. If any of you watch Gilmore Girls, Robin has a little Luke Danes moment in this chapter. Another long one, sorry friends.**

 **Chapter 9**

Contrary to what one might expect, the homecoming dance in Storybrook was always followed by perfectly sober and responsible afterparties. Unfortunately, having stereotypical, crazy afterparties after a school dance was just too obvious and predictable to do in Storybrook. The extremely bored Storybrook Sheriff's Department always expected homecoming to be the most wild night of the year, and, consequently, spent the entire night patrolling the streets to shut down any parties that were daring enough to arise. Therefore, it was the tradition of any teenager with a brain and vested interest in their future to remain sober and well behaved on homecoming night. The afterparty was always hosted by Granny at her diner, for any students of Storybrook High that wished to attend.

This was how Regina, Robin, Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Killian, and Gold spent their evening, along with the majority of their grade. And, in spite of the lack of alcohol and the presence of an adult (Granny), this was the most fun night Regina could remember having in years. Just socializing with their grade, being with her friends, enjoying Granny's sinfully good food, and being free of any romantic inhibitions… Regina was feeling _good._ She'd had absolutely no idea how freeing it would be to admit her feelings to Robin. She was fascinated by the fact that she could now look over at him and smile affectionately whenever she wished, or that when he secretly placed his hand on her thigh under the table, she could let him. Of course, they had decided not to tell anyone right away.

 _Regina and Robin, following their heated classroom love profession/make out, had returned to the dance, and flawlessly acted as though nothing had happened between them. And unless any of their friends had caught onto their lingering glances, and slightly excessive, unnecessary touching, they were none the wiser._

 _The group had mutually decided that each couple should leave the dance whenever they felt so inclined, rather than leaving all together. They would just meet up at Granny's afterwards. Regina and Robin had been the first to leave the dance, however, as they were particularly eager to be away from the watchful eye of their friends for a few minutes._

 _Conversation was flowing naturally between them as they made their way down the dimly lit streets of Storybrook, towards Granny's diner. They were wonderfully alone, which Robin decided to take advantage of as they approached the restaurant. Finally summoning his courage, though he knew he was now permitted to do so, he gently entwined his fingers through Regina's. Regina's heart practically leapt into her throat, from a bizarre mixture of shock and pleasure. Her first instinct was to quickly take her hand away, in case anyone was looking their way. And then she remembered that they were alone. And Robin was now her… what was he? Her boyfriend? That seemed an odd way to put it for some reason._

 _"Am I not allowed to hold your hand?" Robin asked, bemused, clearly noticing her conflicted reaction. Regina couldn't help laughing at her own awkwardness, and shook her head. She stopped walking, and Robin followed suit._

 _"No, no, of course you are, I was just… surprised," Regina responded, still chuckling a little. Robin arched an eyebrow._

 _"It didn't seem too much too soon, seeing as what we spent the last hour doing in that classroom," he replied wittily, smirking at her. Regina grinned._

 _"Goes to show that you should never make assumptions, because I draw the line at hand holding," she joked, biting her lip. Robin's already very present smile widened._

 _"I'm sorry to hear that."_

 _"I just… I'm worried about how we should break this news to our friends, I guess," Regina finally said, sighing. Robin nodded slowly._

 _"I see. Do you want to keep it a secret?" he asked genuinely. Regina could tell that he didn't feel particularly inclined towards that option, but could also tell that if it was what she wished, he would do it without argument. But it was not what she wished._

 _"No, I don't want to hide this. I just… maybe for the night?" Regina responded gently, looking up into his eyes for approval. He smiled warmly at her, granting it._

 _"I agree. We can… discuss this, and all its complications and implications later, but right now, I would just really like to kiss you," Robin murmured, as he lightly pressed his lips against hers. Regina's heart rate about tripled._

 _After a few very enjoyable moments, Robin pulled away to look at her again. Regina noticed that suddenly_ ** _he_** _looked conflicted._

 _"Regina, obviously, I don't know yet what you find clingy, or annoying, or how often you want to see me, or-"_

 _"Just spit it out, Robin," Regina interrupted him, laughing at his obvious nervousness. It made her want to smile uncontrollably thinking about the fact that he was just as nervous around her as she was around him._

 _Robin smiled, in spite of himself._

 _"I was just wondering if I could see you in the morning tomorrow? Maybe breakfast?" he asked easily, seeming to have gotten himself under control. Regina couldn't think of anything she would rather spend her morning doing._

 _"Breakfast tomorrow sounds lovely. Actually, my mother and Zelena will be gone all day tomorrow, so you can come by whenever," Regina responded. Remembering that Cora and Zelena would be gone the whole day just amplified Regina's already good mood._

 _"I'll pick you up in the morning."_

It was this breakfast agreement with Robin, Regina recalled, that was responsible for him ringing her doorbell at 10:00 this morning. They had never specified a time, and Robin clearly seemed to have decided that 10 was the time he preferred.

Regina hated herself for not planning on waking up earlier, because she could not have looked less attractive at the moment. She was wearing a slightly skimpy black camisole (she couldn't imagine the kind of comments Cora would make about her figure if she ever saw it), and her most unflattering pair of grey sweatpants. They were her father's when he was in college; they were huge around her waist, so she had to roll them, and they were completely baggy around her legs until they bagged all around her ankles. They were hideous, but he'd given them to her years ago and she wore them almost every night. Not to mention the fact that she'd slept with her hair unceremoniously piled on top of her head, and, as a result, it was now incredibly wavy. And she wasn't wearing a stitch of makeup. So, yes, _thank God,_ Robin was going to see her looking like this not even twenty four hours after he had agreed to date her. Perfect.

Regina quickly made her way down the stairs, crossing her arms over her chest insecurely, and approached her front door.

"Alright, you didn't give me any warning that you were coming, so don't you dare laugh," Regina called out to Robin, knowing that he could hear her through the front door. She distinctly heard him chuckle.

"I apologize for the lack of notice, and I promise I won't laugh. Now can you open the door? It's freezing out here," Robin called back calmly. Regina's heart skipped a beat. In the 12 hours she'd been away from him, she'd already forgotten how just the sound of his voice made her feel.

She pulled open the door, trying not to look too anxious. And, naturally, there stood Robin, holding out a cup of coffee for her, looking too handsome to be real. He was dressed in his usual dark wash jeans, and dark grey vans, which he'd paired this with a forest green, thick long sleeved t-shirt, his dark grey leather jacket, and an unassuming light grey scarf. His dark blonde hair was tousled and windblown, and his royal blue eyes were bright. Regina was pretty sure she couldn't have paled more in comparison if she tried.

Robin, however, seemed to disagree, if the look in his eye when he saw her reflected his thoughts accurately at all. He grinned widely at her almost immediately, and Regina felt herself blush.

"Well, I know how you feel about your morning cup of coffee, so I didn't think I should dare show up unannounced without some sort of peace offering," Robin joked, easily pressing the cup into her hand. Regina smiled appreciatively.

"Smart man. Thank you," she replied warmly, staring into his eyes. Looking into his eyes was a mistake, it was always a mistake. Oh, God, she should not want him so badly already… Especially not when she looked so utterly undesirable (she hadn't even brushed her teeth, for God's sake…).

She quickly averted her gaze, and took a sip of her coffee to defuse the slightly awkward silence that she'd created. But she noticed that Robin was still looking at her.

"Having second thoughts, thief?" Regina couldn't resist quipping, arching an eyebrow challengingly. She was mostly joking, of course. Mostly.

Robin responded with a similar eyebrow raise, and a soft smile, as he shook his head quickly.

"On the contrary. I rather enjoy seeing you like this," he answered gently. Regina's blush deepened.

"Like what?"

"Like not all perfectly put together and polished," Robin mused, still smiling. Regina involuntarily gave a laugh of derision.

"When am I _ever_ perfectly put together and polished?" she scoffed. Robin rolled his eyes.

"Always. And besides, the sweatpants quite become you, in my opinion," Robin joked, smirking. Regina rolled her eyes right back at him.

"Yes, thank you, I thought so too."

"You're much prettier than you think you are, Your Majesty."

"That's a pretty good line, thief."

"I agree. But it's also the truth," Robin said, grinning widely at her. Regina rolled her eyes again, but stepped slightly to the side, indicating that he should come inside. He stepped through the door quickly, and she shut it behind them.

Regina crossed her arms again as he faced her. This only made him smile at her more, much to her confusion. He took a step closer to her, and her heart sped.

"What are you grinning at?" Regina heard herself ask coyly, her voice an octave higher than she would normally permit. Robin chuckled, taking another step closer so that he was now right in front of her. His hands lightly reached out to touch her hips, and Regina swore a heart attack was right around the corner, waiting to claim her if he got any closer.

"Nothing," he replied easily. The prominent, flirtatious smirk on his face, however, suggested otherwise. Regina flushed deeper.

"Well, as much as I know you're enjoying my outfit, I'm going to go and make myself all put together and polished," she said sarcastically, shooting him a sly smile. Robin smirked, and obligingly released her. Regina then scampered up the stairs to go and make herself presentable.

She tried to dress as quickly as she could, and, in doing so, was not wearing as much makeup as she would have preferred, nor was her hair as tamed as she would like. She had outfitted herself in her black skinny jeans, a casual black sweater, her dark grey, suede short boots, and her short, dark grey peacoat. Her dark hair was free, and fully wavy. She lightly spritzed herself with her normal perfume, and deemed herself presentable enough to leave the house.

She hastily returned down the staircase, to where Robin was waiting for her. He hardly appeared to have moved since she'd left.

"That was quick," Robin commented abstractly, as though complimenting her. Regina shot him a quick smile, as she moved towards the closet just by the door where the Mills women stored their winter accessories. The weather in Storybrook was peculiarly cold for this time of year. It was only October, yet the temperature was already just above freezing, and brutally windy as well. Regina rummaged around until she found her black leather gloves, and she quickly slid her hands into them. She then grabbed the cup of coffee that Robin had brought her from the table by the door.

"Ready?" Regina asked, looking over her shoulder at Robin, and gesturing to open the front door. Robin nodded, and approached to join her.

"Almost," he replied easily. And before Regina could question what exactly he was waiting for, he took her face into one of his hands, gently trapping her up against the front door, and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

It wasn't a particularly long, or passionate kiss. Rather, it was gentle, and… _natural._ And still plenty to leave Regina feeling faint. All she could manage once he pulled away was what she was sure was a very dreamy and entranced smile back up at him.

"Shall we?" Robin asked, reaching around her to pull open the front door for her, as though he didn't have her almost completely bewitched. She momentarily hated him for rendering her so temporarily useless.

Regina assumed that Robin was intending them to discuss all the heavy subject matter of their new relationship over breakfast, as the walk to Granny's mostly just consisted of a combination of pleasant small talk and their usual playful banter.

As they approached Granny's, Regina took a moment to pray that they would not encounter any of their friends, as she hadn't had the time to concoct a proper excuse as to what exactly she and Robin were doing at Granny's alone for breakfast, without extending an invitation to the rest of the group. A chemistry assignment, perhaps? Sadly, that vague of an excuse would only potentially be successful on Emma or Killian, as they were the only two of their friends that were almost completely oblivious to Robin and Regina's budding relationship. Gold had seen them entering a bedroom at Killian's party together, and Mary Margaret had pretty much inferred all the details herself, which she had then conferred to David. Hopefully, she and Robin will have fabricated a solid way to inform their friends of their new relationship by the end of breakfast.

Rather than the group's usual, spacious booth in the corner, Regina and Robin settled for a considerably smaller, cozier booth on the opposite side of Granny's.

Unsettled by how nervous she suddenly was, and unsure of how to restart conversation, Regina nonchalantly began unbuttoning her coat so that it could casually hang open.

"So… Lots to discuss," Robin trailed off uncertainly, staring across the table at her. Regina nodded slowly in agreement, still quite unsure how to respond or how to act.

"Good thing we both clearly are so talkative and full of ideas," she heard herself reply ironically, half smiling. Robin grinned.

"Yes, good thing. Alright, fair enough, though, perhaps we should start with something easier than how to break the news to our friends?" Robin responded easily. This peaked Regina's curiosity.

"Such as?"

"Well, I broached the subject last night on the way to the afterparty. What sort of things do you find clingy, and or annoying?" Robin questioned lightheartedly. Regina knew that he was perceiving her very poorly hidden discomfort, and was attempting to help diffuse it. The increasingly infatuated part of her swooned at the fact that he already knew her so well. The normal and _sane_ part of her laughed.

"Well, for starters, I find that I'm not particularly keen on dating boys addicted to drugs. Is that going to be an issue?" Regina dryly alluded to Daniel in response. Robin raised his eyebrows, seemingly a bit surprised that she was joking about Daniel, but chuckled briefly, nonetheless.

"I'll make sure to sell off all of my contraband within the next 24 hours," he replied casually. Regina rolled her eyes, but conceded a small smile.

"Surely, though, there are more ways that I can aggravate you, other than by doing drugs?" Robin quipped, arching an eyebrow. Though of course she knew this to be true, she secretly couldn't imagine Robin ever being too clingy or annoying. She couldn't imagine ever not wanting him around. How sappy and embarrassing…

"Yes, I'm sure of that too… Well, for starters, I generally prefer to keep my private life… private," Regina explained hesitantly. Daniel had always hated this about her, and she prayed that Robin didn't feel the same way. He nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what she meant.

"That sounds reasonable. How so?"

"Obviously, we'll tell our friends and families. And if people ask, we won't lie, but I don't want to go around broadcasting it all over town," Regina elaborated, hoping that he didn't disagree. Robin nodded again.

"Well, thank goodness I left my megaphone at home, then," he responded sarcastically. Regina rolled her eyes, but grinned. She always appreciated someone whose sarcasm was on par with hers.

"And I would prefer if we didn't engage in… you know, intense public displays of affection," Regina continued gingerly, worried he would take her desire for privacy in the wrong way. Daniel always had. He'd always irrationally taken her desire to just be discreet as being embarrassed to be seen with him. Robin raised his eyebrows.

"I think I'm fine with that as well, but what exactly do you consider an unwelcome public display of affection?"

"For example, I am not Mary Margaret, and I do not particularly enjoy being passionately kissed and embraced in front of others," Regina replied, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she thought about the huge fans of PDA that Snow and David were.

"So, just to make sure I understand properly, if I want to say hello and express my excitement at seeing you, I should _not_ throw you against the nearest and wall and undress you right then and there?"

"Yes, that is the general idea," Regina confirmed, bemused. Robin smirked.

"How disappointing."

"Crippling disappointment aside, do you think you'll be able to handle those pesky few guidelines?" Regina chided lightly. Robin laughed, and his smirk widened to a full smile.

"I'm sure I can manage," he answered easily. "But, all kidding aside, I do actually completely agree about being discreet, I've never much been much of a PDA person myself. Marian always was, and it drove me crazy."

"Daniel was the same way, that's why I felt like I should address it with you," Regina responded, breathing out a sigh of relief at his understanding. Of course, she probably should have just assumed that Robin would understand her at this point. He always seemed to, especially when she least expected it.

"So, is there anything in particular that I should avoid doing? You know, so that you don't find me annoying and clingy?" Regina asked him in return, raising an eyebrow playfully. Robin chuckled.

"Well-"

"Regina, Robin, hey!"

Regina suddenly heard the enthusiastic, boisterous voice of Emma Swan calling out to them from across the diner. Regina and Robin immediately exchanged glances of panic, and wordlessly tried to concoct an excuse for what they were doing at Granny's alone together.

"Emma, hey!" Regina heard herself get out in a painfully strained tone of returned enthusiasm. And then, to make matters all the better, Regina watched as Killian and Gold filed into the diner behind Emma. Oh, excellent.

"Wow, you guys got here fast. I thought for sure that Killian, Gold, and I would be first," Emma said conversationally, as she approached to stand at the head of Regina and Robin's table. At her words, Regina and Robin shared another glance, but this time of utter bewilderment, rather than panic. What exactly did Emma think they were doing here?

Clearly Emma picked up on their confusion.

"You know… Since I just texted in the group text twenty minutes ago, asking if everyone wanted to go to breakfast…? I assume that's why the two of you are here…?" Emma trailed off uncertainly, seemingly confused as to why Regina and Robin looked so baffled by her words.

"Right, of course!" Regina replied way too quickly, almost in shock at she and Robin's incredibly good luck.

"That's us, the speediest in all of Storybrook," Robin babbled uncomfortably. Regina shot him an underhanded glance of irritation. Emma looked confused by their odd behavior, but amused anyways.

"You two are psychos."

"Psycho for picking this booth, it's so small. Can we switch to our normal one?" Killian asked, joining the conversation for the first time. Gold nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, of course, I'm not sure what we were thinking," Regina responded passively, not wanting to start any kind of serious inquiry into why she and Robin picked their considerably smaller booth.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to think much more on the subject as they made their way across the diner to their normal booth. The five of them poured into their new seats. Regina couldn't help noticing that she was now rather pleasantly pressed against Robin.

"Where are Mary Margaret and David?" Robin asked as they sat down. Regina appreciated him for starting a new topic of conversation.

"They're outside. David insisted that they help some old woman with her groceries," Gold responded, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as though this was the most obnoxious thing he had ever heard. Regina gave a snort of derision.

"Yeah, you're right, Gold. Fuck David for helping some old lady with her groceries," Regina couldn't resist quipping at him. Everyone cracked up, just as David and Mary Margaret bustled through the diner door.

"What are you weirdos laughing at?" Mary Margaret asked cheerfully, as she and David approached their table.

"You," Killian said simply. David and Mary Margaret looked at each other in bewilderment, confused as to what they possibly could have done to already inspire such mockery.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Emma corrected Killian quickly, nudging his shoulder playfully.

"Congrats on snagging the good booth, we were worried about the breakfast rush," David said easily, as he and Mary Margaret slid onto the end of the booth.

"No thanks to Regina and Robin. They got here early, and picked that tiny ass one over there," Emma snarked, grinning affectionately at Regina and Robin. Regina tensed at her words, as she knew that Mary Margaret might decipher their hidden meaning.

"Imagine our embarrassment," Regina tried to deflect calmly, but she could feel Mary Margaret looking back and forth between the tiny booth across the diner, and Regina and Robin suspiciously.

"In under 20 minutes? That's impressive," Snow said underhandedly, shooting Regina a rather pointed look. Regina felt the familiar heat of discomfort rise to her cheeks.

"We're impressive people, Regina and I," Regina heard Robin reply casually.

"That's debatable," Gold snarked from across the table. Regina was too distracted by Mary Margaret's skeptical stare to retort to Gold.

"Regina, will you come help David and I get coffee for the table?" Snow asked Regina suddenly, giving Regina a look signifying that it really wasn't an optional request. Regina nodded, dejected. Robin seemed to sense what was about to happen, and gave her leg a quick, undetectable squeeze of encouragement. Oddly, it did sort of make her feel better. After all, the sooner they told their friends, the sooner she and Robin's relationship could really become… real.

"Our heroes," Killian said mockingly, in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Thanks, guys," Emma called out after them, as the three of them made their way over to Granny's counter to order.

Regina purposely didn't say a word, and made a point of staring all around the cafe to avoid eye contact with either Snow or David.

"So, how was you and Robin's night?" Mary Margaret started out innocently. Regina wished she would just cut to the chase, quite frankly. They both knew where this conversation was going.

"Spectacular."

"Wow, that's an awfully big adjective. What was so spectacular about it?" Snow questioned sweetly. Regina distinctly saw David stifle a chuckle from behind her. She momentarily despised them both for being so condescending.

"It was simply magical. What about you two, how was your evening?" Regina deflected easily.

"Oh, just wonderful. But, you know, oddly enough, and I'm sure you can explain this to me, I distinctly recall a portion of the evening where you and Robin just… disappeared. Isn't that peculiar?" Snow asked, struggling to keep her tone non-accusatory and light. Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. Peculiar, indeed.

"Quite. I can't imagine where we would have been. What portion of the evening do you recall us being missing?" Regina responded, as though she didn't know exactly which portion of the evening that Snow was referring to.

"A distinct hour of the dance, where David and I saw you and Robin dancing one second, rather raunchily, might I add, and then when we looked over again, the two of you had just disappeared into thin air!"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I can't imagine I was doing anything other than foxtrotting my way across club… Storybrook," Regina replied sarcastically, refusing to give Snow the satisfaction. Mary Margaret seemed to have finally grown frustrated with this naive, passive aggressive exchange and sighed heavily.

"Regina."

" _What?"_

"The truth," Snow commanded, arching an eyebrow. Regina rolled her eyes, and shrugged uncomfortably, a plausible excuse completely escaping her.

"I don't know where we were, alright? I just… don't."

"Because why?"

" _Because…_ Because I didn't make a scrapbook of every magical moment of my night!"  
"Mmhm, of course not. So there's no chance that you and Robin were, oh, I don't know… spending some quality alone time with one another in that hour?" Snow finally came right out and accused her. Regina felt the blush rise back into her cheeks.

"No, absolutely not," she muttered uncomfortably, knowing full well that she was caught.

"Regina, how much longer are you going to force us to drag out this conversation?" David finally interjected, seemingly very amused. Regina shot him an aggravated glare.

"It's not my fault that I have nothing to report!" Regina retorted, even though she knew her protests were completely futile at this point.

"Regina, I can see it in you," Mary Margaret said softly. Regina arched an eyebrow, curious, in spite of herself.

"See _what?"_

"You look… freer, and lighter, and… _happier_ ," Snow said simply, as though it were obvious. Regina rolled her eyes.

"As opposed to what? What do I normally look like, Snow?"

"You can be a little… scary," David commented thoughtlessly. Regina glared at him with a look of such ferocity that Mary Margaret clearly felt the need to intervene before David was incinerated by the force of her gaze alone.

" _What_ he means is that you don't always look completely carefree and ecstatic, that's all," she interjected quickly, raising her hand to David's mouth so that he couldn't dig himself into a deeper hole. David gave a quick nod of agreement.

"What is it that you two so desperately want to hear?" Regina finally asked, sighing. Snow and David grinned at one another, sensing victory, and then back at her.

"How did it happen?" Snow gushed excitedly, grabbing Regina's hands.

"How did _what_ happen?"

"Oh, come on, Regina. He isn't doing much to hide it, with the way he's looking at you. Clearly, you made it official within the last 12 hours," David interrupted, rolling his eyes. And she was officially caught. Though, she couldn't deny that her heart skipped a beat at the notion that Robin was looking at her in a certain way.

Regina groaned.

"At the dance last night. We left the gym for a few… _minutes_ , to… _talk_ , and we made it official. And those are the only details that the two of you are getting!" Regina finally snapped. But it secretly felt rather relieving to finally be honest.

Mary Margaret squealed and David grinned. What romantic saps, Regina couldn't help musing.

"Oh, Regina, I am so incredibly happy for the both of you, that's wonderful! Everyone is going to be so excited, I'm sure!" Mary Margaret beamed.

"Yes, yes, thank you, but you two need to keep your mouths shut until Robin and I think the time is right to tell everyone," Regina said hastily, in a hushed tone of voice. Snow and David looked at each other with overdramatized concern. Regina sighed heavily and glared at both of them.

" _What?"_

"You're going to tell everyone at breakfast, _right?_ We aren't going to have to continue keeping this a secret?" David asked concernedly. Regina rolled her eyes. How selfish of them. Of course their primary concern would be for their own comfort, rather than the future of Regina and Robin's new relationship.

"Not that Robin and I _have_ to tell anyone anything, but, yes, we were actually meeting for breakfast this morning to discuss how to break the news to everyone," Regina responded, sighing again.

"You know, we'd be happy to give you a segue, if you think that would help?" Snow suggested thoughtfully. Regina arched an eyebrow, bemused.

"A _segue?_ "

"You know, an easy conversation transition into telling everyone-"

"Yes, thank you, David, I know what a segue is," Regina snarked, rolling her eyes again. "And how would that go exactly? 'Hey, Emma, pass the salt, oh, and by the way, isn't it weird how Regina and Robin are suddenly dating?"

"Oh, come on, Regina, we'll be subtle!" Mary Margaret said indignantly as though it was the most obvious thing in the world that she and David were discreet people. Regina gave a short derisive laugh, but couldn't deny that she was considering permitting it. It wasn't as though she and Robin had come up with any grand ideas of their own, and, besides, David and Mary Margaret had pretty much just made it clear that Regina and Robin were not leaving this breakfast without the secret being divulged.

"I am so going to regret this," Regina finally conceded, sighing yet again, after a long silence.

—

While Emma, Killian, and Gold made casual chatter and banter, Robin's gaze was completely focused on Regina, Mary Margaret, and David, as they stood by Granny's ordering counter, where they so obviously were not ordering the coffee that they had promised. In the past 30 seconds, Regina had practically set a record for eye rolls, and Snow and David had set their own record for condescending, parental expressions of excitement. Obviously, they were talking about Regina and Robin's new relationship. And, based on Snow and David's sudden expressions of joy, Robin could only assume that Regina had either just confirmed their suspicions, or had assured them that she and Robin were not keeping their relationship a secret. Regardless, Robin prayed that Regina would set a strong lead for him to follow when she got back, because he had utterly no clue what he should and should not say at this point.

Just as he was thinking this, Regina, Mary Margaret, and David moved to return to the booth. Regina made concerned eye contact with him and gave him a look of vast uncertainty, as though wordlessly transmitting that she had no clue what the hell was about to happen. She slid into the booth next to him again without a word. Mary Margaret and David reclaimed their seats opposite them as well.

"Hi, excuse me, where is the coffee I was promised?" Gold asked aggressively, glancing back and forth between the three of them.

"Keep your pants on, it's on the way," David replied casually. Gold scowled.

"Don't sass me, Charming, you three just waited for at least five minutes over there-"

"Granny's a little busy this morning, alright, Gold?" Snow interrupted him, much more impatiently than was normal for her. Gold, seemingly bewildered and frustrated by this unnecessary chastising, deepened his frown and leaned back into his seat.

"Relax, mate, there's Granny now," Killian said to Gold, gesturing his head to the side to point out that Granny had just approached their table with seven cups of coffee and a pitcher of cream. Apparently, David, Regina, and Mary Margaret actually had ordered the coffee. Conversation at the table halted as Granny easily distributed the cups.

"And there's your coffee. I'll come back for your orders in a bit," Granny said, before bustling off again. It was actually somewhat amusing how quickly everyone dove into their coffee. Clearly, Robin's group of friends had a slight caffeine addiction.

"What is everyone ordering?" Emma asked nonchalantly, glancing over a menu. Mary Margaret also picked up a menu, and casually began perusing it.

"Funny you should ask that, Emma, because David and I actually were just ordering Regina to tell all of you that she and Robin are now dating!" Mary Margaret threw out conversationally, as though she had just said something as simple as 'I was thinking eggs and bacon'.

And the reactions to her words were not much more graceful than the manner in which they were announced. Killian spit his coffee back into his cup, Emma nearly choked to death on hers, and Gold just groaned dramatically and face-palmed. Well, that was that then, wasn't it? Robin didn't think he could have come up with a _worse_ way to break the news if he tried.

Robin exchanged a horrified glance with Regina, who simultaneously also looked to be on the verge of climbing across the table and strangling Mary Margaret.

" _Subtle,_ indeed!" Regina hissed ferociously, shooting her such a venomous glare that Robin feared for her life. Even David looked a bit surprised by Mary Margaret's audacity.

" _Excuse_ me?!" Emma practically shouted, glancing frantically back and forth between Regina and Robin, as though trying to decipher something between them that she had clearly missed before.

However, much to Robin's confusion, despite their initial reactions, Killian and Gold didn't look even the slightest bit surprised.

"Come on, love, you had to see that bit coming, didn't you?" Killian lightly chided Emma, letting out a little chuckle. Emma whipped her head over to glare at him.

"No, I most certainly did not have to see it coming! How could I have?!" she responded angrily.

"How could you _not_? What, between the pining looks, and lingering stares, and wandering eyes, and unnecessary bickering, you didn't pick up on anything there?" Gold mocked Emma derisively, looking over at her in amusement. Meanwhile, Robin and Regina both glowered at Gold.

"Excuse me, my eyes do not _wander!"_ Robin protested defensively. But he knew that, from time to time, his eyes most certainly did wander… last night being a prime example.

"And I do not _pine!"_ Regina snapped. Gold just laughed loudly.

"Oh, please, somebody back me up here," he said, looking at Killian, David, and Mary Margaret.

"Seriously, if it was _so_ obvious, enlighten me as to the signs that I so stupidly missed!" Emma demanded childishly, scowling, and crossing her arms.

"Or we could just not do that-" Regina began, before being cut off by David.

"Well, I got my first hint when, about five minutes after meeting Regina, Robin pulled me aside to ask if she was 'seeing anyone'," David contributed, bemused, shooting Robin an affectionate smile. Robin did not return the expression. He momentarily despised David for divulging that bit, as he had never planned for Regina to know he had asked that.

Robin felt heat rise to his cheeks as Regina pointedly stared at him, smirking, and raising her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes uncomfortably.

"It was before that night at the grocery store, I didn't know about Daniel," Robin muttered in utter embarrassment. Much to his relief, Regina just smiled lightly.

"And I got mine when Regina completely freaked out when David invited Robin to come and sit with us for the first time at lunch," Mary Margaret added smugly, smiling innocently at Regina. Robin watched in amusement as Regina joined him in blushing deeply.

"Freaked out, did you?" he asked her playfully.

"You seemed like an ass," she retorted half-heartedly, glancing away shyly. Robin's heart skipped a beat.

"And I got mine when they practically took each other's clothes off during truth or dare at my party," Killian contributed conversationally, cracking up. Everyone (except Emma) snickered in agreement.

"We just didn't," Regina argued in aggravation, rolling her eyes, but her protest went ignored.

"Oh, please, that's nothing. I thought there might be a little romance blooming, when I caught them upstairs trying to find a bedroom to hook up in," Gold sneered. Robin was shocked that Gold had the audacity to roast him and Regina, considering what _he_ had been in the middle of doing when they had run into each other that night. Robin and Regina exchanged mutually enraged expressions at Gold's treachery.

"Are you _sure_ you want to bring that night up, Gold?-" Regina began to snark, but nobody was interested in speaking about anything other than Regina and Robin.

"Oh, and then I caught Regina trying to sneak out of the house the next morning without saying goodbye," Snow said, grinning.

"Oh my God, I had no clue they hooked up that night, that totally explains the increase in angsty, longing stares between them after my party!" Killian exclaimed, as he roared with laughter, seemingly thrilled with himself for unraveling this mystery. Regina buried her face in her hands, and Robin just sat silently, allowing the thorough roast to continue. Goodness, had his occasional glances at Regina been that obvious? How humiliating.

"Just the longing stares, in general, were a pretty decent hint, Emma," David said, smiling at Emma sympathetically. Emma shook her head in amazement, her prior frustration having evaporated as she took in all the signs that she'd allegedly missed.

"Wow, I really am stupid and unobservant, aren't I?" Emma said sadly, continuing to shake her head.

"Yes, Emma, I simply can't imagine _your_ embarrassment right now," Regina snapped ferociously, giving each person at the table (except Robin) a violent glare.

"Hey, at least everyone knows now. Just had to rip the bandaid off, you know?" Mary Margaret said sweetly, smiling at Regina innocently. Oh, if looks could kill, Mary Margaret surely would have been slaughtered by Regina's.

"Oh, yes, thank _God,_ you took it upon yourself to announce it this way. Crisis averted, well done," Regina snarked. He knew it was the completely wrong time to be thinking about it, but, God, Robin adored her…

"Alright, wait, I'm sorry to be the one to point this out, but are we so sure that this is a good idea?" Emma suddenly asked worriedly, looking around at everyone except Regina and Robin.

"That _what_ is a good idea, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked irritably, sighing. Emma ignored her.

"I mean… we all love Robin, but we've known Regina so much longer, so what do we do when they break up?" Emma asked insensitively, as though she had just stumbled onto some extremely intelligent thought that everybody else had missed. Robin gaped at her. Was she actually being this insensitive?

"How flattering, thank you," Regina said sarcastically, leaning back against the booth miserably.

"That's not a bad point," Killian agreed. Gold shrugged, also somewhat conceding to Emma's question. Mary Margaret and David looked at one another worriedly.

"It could get pretty messy," Mary Margaret admitted. Robin noticed that Regina gave her a look of complete and utter betrayal. Robin couldn't help but agree, considering the fact that Mary Margaret had been so completely on board with their dating not two minutes ago.

"I thought about that," Killian commented proudly. Robin highly doubted that Killian had thought about anything of the sort. Regina seemed to be of similar mind, and she gave an incredibly aggravated eye roll.

"Maybe we need to think about whether or not we should support this…" Emma trailed off, as though Robin and Regina were not blatantly seated right in front of them. As if she had any actual say in the matter!

"God, Emma-" Robin began to interrupt.

"We're sitting right here!" Regina bursted out in frustration. But both of their protests were ignored.

"What if Regina drives him crazy with how neurotic she can be?" Gold asked smugly, clearly just attempting to get under Regina's skin. Regina's jaw dropped open out of sheer shock.

"What if when they break up, they both go completely batshit crazy and refuse to let any of us speak to the other one?" Killian suggested worriedly. Robin certainly could understand his friends' concern about he and Regina dating, but to discuss it so openly in front of them was just awkward and cruel.

"Or worse, what if Robin has to transfer schools, like Daniel?" Emma added.

"Oh, God, speaking of Daniel, what if Robin cheats on her?" David asked tensely. And _that_ was enough.

Robin stood up aggressively. This finally got everyone's attention, and for the first time, they seemed to remember that he and Regina were, in fact, sitting right in front of them.

"Okay, that's it. I've heard enough," Robin interjected angrily.

"Robin, mate, calm down-" Killian began to interrupt, but Robin was not about to be silenced.

"This is _my_ relationship. Not yours, not yours, not yours," Robin began, pointing at David and Mary Margaret, then at Killian and Emma, and then at Gold.

" _Yours,"_ Robin continued, gesturing to Regina, who smirked in amusement at seeing Robin come so unhinged on her behalf. "Mine, and hers," Robin said fiercely, motioning to himself, and then back to Regina. "But not _YOURS!"_

"Robin-" David began calmly, but Robin steamrolled over him.

"So, the forum is officially closed on whether this is a good idea or not, because, regardless, it's happening, we think it's a good idea, and we are _in_ a relationship!" Robin concluded, successfully silencing everyone. He glanced around at his friends, who were now significantly taken aback by his outburst, and awaited anyone who dared to argue.

"Alright, alright, fair enough, but if you two break up-" Killian began to disagree.

"We're not going to break up!" Robin interrupted him in frustration, before he could stop himself. Much to his humiliation, Robin watched the eyebrows of everyone at the table shoot up in surprise at his sudden confession.

"Alright, if we break up, I'll… I'll move, I'll transfer schools, I'll go far, far away and you'll never hear from me again. That way you won't have to choose. Does that satisfy you?" Robin quickly pressed on, attempting to gloss over his little slip of the tongue there. He prayed Regina didn't think too much of it.

"That certainly satisfies me," Mary Margaret said gently, making direct eye contact with Robin for the first time since the debate had commenced. It was odd… In her stare, Mary Margaret seemed to be conveying a silent message, saying something along the lines of 'alright, that was pretty good, and I believe you for now, but so help me God, if you hurt her…'

Robin sat back down awkwardly, and a very uncomfortable silence settled over the seven friends.

"So… waffles, anyone?" Gold finally broke the tension.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Fortunately, the friends' Sunday morning breakfast had ended much better than it began. Although the topic of Regina and Robin's new relationship hadn't been broached again, Regina had regained some sense of normalcy by the end of the breakfast, and was reasonably convinced that everything would be alright within their friend group. Furthermore, on the topic of normalcy, Regina hadn't seen Robin since he'd walked her home from breakfast, as, after all the festivity of the weekend, she had finally been forced to return to the land of academics. Regina had both a grueling AP Latin test and an Advanced Pre-calculus test on Monday, both of which she felt woefully unprepared for. Not to mention the fact that, as principal, Cora Mills was always very much informed about Regina's academic schedule, and did not hesitate to ensure that Regina was studying. Due to this, not only had Regina not seen Robin, but she also hadn't even spoken to him, since Cora had confiscated her cellphone for the evening so that she could study.

Well, now that she was on her way to Granny's before school, and now that she was quite prepared for both of her tests, Regina was _very_ eager to see Robin. She'd been experiencing a very interesting emotion in the past 24 hours… It wasn't even exactly like she missed him, it was more like she couldn't shake the sense of having something to look forward to. Whatever the feeling was, Regina couldn't recall ever being so excited for a Monday morning.

Regina made her way into Granny's a solid 10 minutes ahead of her friends' normal meeting time, as usual. And, since she was 10 minutes early, she definitely wasn't expecting to see Robin waiting for her by Granny's ordering counter. Her heart skipped a beat, out of both surprise and excitement. Excitement quickly won out, and she felt herself smile widely, an expression which Robin returned. Part of her felt the extremely overdramatic urge to barrel into his arms and hug him, but she managed to control herself and walk calmly over to join him.

"Hey," he greeted calmly, half smiling at her as she leaned up against the counter next to him. It was odd… Part of her had desperately wanted him to kiss her easily in greeting, and another part of her loved that he didn't. Something about the fact that he didn't maintained the brand, shiny newness of their relationship. And Regina liked the newness.

"How was your night?" she responded, smiling at him. Robin looked almost a little taken aback at how much she was smiling. God, was David right? Was she really 'a little scary'?

"Not bad. Did a little homework, tidied up the house, looked after Roland, etc.," Robin answered. This raised a question in Regina's mind.

"Where was your father?" she asked him, genuinely curious for the answer.

"My dad works pretty… intense hours at the station. He doesn't get home until after midnight, most nights. So most of the cleaning and the Roland-ing falls to me a lot of the time," Robin explained simply, shrugging, as though this didn't bother him. But Regina could detect a hint of stress and exhaustion behind his deep blue eyes.

"And how is Roland?"

"Well, now that you mention it, very interested in when he'll next be seeing you," Robin replied pointedly, arching an eyebrow playfully, seemingly grateful for the subject change. Regina grinned.

"Anytime he'd like. Just make sure he doesn't invite that obnoxious older brother of his next time we hang out," Regina responded, smirking and giving him a playful wink. Robin laughed. Regina took a step closer to him, now much closer to his body than ordinary conversation required.

"I'll be sure to relay that message to him."

"You know, if you ever need any… help with the cleaning, or the cooking, or the Roland-ing, all you have to do is ask," Regina said gently, looking up into his eyes seriously. Robin half smiled at her, his eyes softening further.

"I'll keep that in mind… Is it just me, or does it suddenly feel very… crowded in here?" Robin said softly, leaning in slightly closer to Regina, so that she could vaguely feel his warm breath on her face. Her heart rate sped.

"Very."

Robin was just about to lean in to press a chaste kiss to her lips, when the whole gang burst through the door to Granny's.

"I knew this was going to be the worst," Killian moaned dramatically when he saw them. Regina and Robin shot away from each other immediately, both of them suddenly becoming very interested in the tile of Granny's floor. Killian, Emma, Gold, Snow, and David made their way over to the counter.

"Oh, grow up, Killian. Personally, all I ask is that you keep the PDA to a minimum," Emma said, shoving Killian playfully, and rolling her eyes.

"Speaking of PDA, Regina, have you even told Cora yet?" Gold asked, seeming somewhat amused at the thought of Regina having to break the news to Cora. Regina's heart plummeted at that comment. As a matter of fact, she hadn't even remotely discovered the proper way to tell Cora about Robin. Cora had been painfully clear about her feelings toward Robin, and his past legal transgressions.

"No, I haven't, Gold. And, quite frankly, Robin and I's relationship is the last thing I would like to discuss this morning. Maybe if you all would quit bringing it up, it wouldn't seem like such a huge deal. So can we all just grow up, and move on?" Regina snapped, already fed up with her friends' behavior. She couldn't understand why they were being so petulant in the first place, it wasn't as though they weren't accustomed to seeing her in a relationship. She'd been with Daniel since the seventh grade!

"Point taken, your Majesty. Now, I am in desperate need of some donuts, Granny!" Killian agreed with Regina, and calling out his order to Granny, who nodded her understanding.

"I wouldn't mind a donut either," Emma added.

"I second that!" called Gold. Granny, whose back was now to them, raised a finger to them, demonstrating that she heard them all.

Granny fetched them a dozen donuts, and pushed them over to Killian, Emma, and Gold. They dove in immediately. Regina momentarily hated Emma for her ability to eat whatever she wanted and still remain stick thin.

"Just coffee for you, Regina, I assume?" Granny confirmed. Regina nodded.

"Thanks, Granny."

"And what about the rest of you?" Granny questioned Snow, David, and Robin.

"Two coffees for Mary Margaret and I, and we'll split a blue berry muffin, please," David ordered for himself and Snow. Granny nodded, and turned her attention to Robin.

"Coffee, and a bagel for me," Robin requested, flashing a friendly smile. Granny nodded again, and moved to fulfill the rest of the orders.

"Alright, friends, what are we up to this weekend?" Killian asked the group, his voice slightly muffled by the enormous bite of donut in his mouth.

"Perhaps some general table manner classes for you, Killian?" Regina couldn't resist snarking in response, earning laughter from everyone. Killian glared at her, but made a point of chewing the rest of his bite and swallowing theatrically, before speaking again.

"Any other suggestions?" he asked pointedly.

"Killian, Robin, and I all have a football game on Friday night. It's away," David said, seemingly disappointed by the fact that Mary Margaret wouldn't likely be there to watch him, since the game wasn't at home. Regina also found herself disappointed by this news. She'd temporarily forgotten that Robin was on the football team, and had been hoping to spend Friday night with him.

"So that just leaves the four of us, huh?" Mary Margaret said, gesturing to herself, Emma, Regina, and Gold. Gold sighed. It wasn't uncommon for the fact that he wasn't on the football team to leave him hanging out with three girls.

Just as Mary Margaret said this, Granny returned with the rest of the groups' orders. Regina eagerly snatched her coffee and took a large swig, desperately needing her daily caffeine boost. Robin, who apparently was watching her, chuckled from next to her.

"Let's start walking," Emma suggested.

Having bid their thanks and farewells to Granny, the seven of them began their walk to school. The early October air was bitterly cold, and Regina was momentarily very grateful that she had forced herself to wear a scarf.

"Alright, so movie night on Friday?" Mary Margaret asked, referring to what the four members of the group who weren't on the football team might do to entertain themselves for the evening.

"Only if I get to pick the movie," Gold responded immediately. Regina couldn't deny that this was a fair request, since the last time the four of them had had a movie night, Gold had been roped into watching _Twilight_. Snow, Emma, and Regina all cracked up, remembering.

"Deal," Emma conceded, grinning, and rumpling Gold's shaggy, brown hair. He flinched and smacked her hand away almost immediately, earning another set of laughs from the group. If there was anything Gold hated, it was unwelcome touching and or affection.

The rest of the walk was beautifully uneventful. The seven of them discussed upcoming tests and general academic misfortunes. Killian had already managed to get himself on academic probation, while the rest of the group was just incredibly bogged down by junior year's rigorous demands. Regina and Snow both had a Pre-Calculus test today, in addition to the AP Latin test which Regina also had with Gold and Killian, while Emma and David both had an AP English test. Robin, had somehow escaped this Monday without an exam, but was certainly going to make up for it with the AP US History test on Wednesday, the AP Chemistry II test on Thursday (tests which Regina would also have to endure), and his AP Calculus test on Friday. Anyhow, the atmosphere, the banter, the subject matter, all of it just felt… _normal_. And Regina loved every second of it.

Having arrived at school just in time for the first bell, the group split off towards their designated, first period classrooms. Mary Margaret and Gold to Spanish, David and Emma to English, Killian to his Maritime and Ocean Studies elective, and Robin and Regina off to Chemistry.

She and Robin walked side by side together down the hall, a comfortable silence between them.

"So… hypothetically, if your mother did know about us, would I be allowed to hold your hand in a situation such as this?" Robin asked quietly, leaning in just slightly so that Regina could hear him clearly. She felt herself blush, and was almost knocked to the ground by the force of just how much she wanted to be holding Robin's hand.

"Hypothetically, I probably wouldn't object," Regina said, using her very best tone of indifference and slight sarcasm, as she shot Robin a brief, side smirk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him grin.

"I'm not sure if it's ironic, or hilarious, or maybe just plain sad that I've never looked so forward to a chemistry class," Robin said, bemused, just as he and Regina arrived in front of the classroom door. Regina paused to stand in front of him.

"What is it that you're so looking to, thief?"

"I haven't really been alone with you since Saturday night," Robin said, as though it were obvious. Regina arched an eyebrow.

"And you're considering our chemistry class, filled with 20 other students and an irritatingly strict teacher, quality alone time?" Regina scoffed, genuinely interested in what his response would be. Robin smirked and shrugged, as though he knew something that she didn't.

"Anywhere without the very watchful eyes of our friends, or your mother, I am going to consider quality alone time for the time being," Robin said simply, as he moved to walk into the classroom. This left Regina _very_ interested in what awaited her in this class period.

She followed him into the room, and subsequently, to their lab table in the back of the room. How very, very fortunate it was that Robin had arrived late to class that first day, forcing him and Regina to take the only table that remained: the one furthest from all the supplies, but also furthest from everyone else.

Regina and Robin stood side by side while Mr. Archibald delivered instructions for the class period. But, clearly, Robin was determined to make sure that Regina didn't catch a single word of it. As soon as Mr. Archibald began speaking, Regina felt Robin slowly start to move behind her. She turned around to look at him, to ensure that he hadn't completely lost his mind. Fortunately for Robin, there was a shelf just behind their lab table, leaving very little space for Regina and Robin, in general, and it was humanly impossible for the both of them to fit between the table and the shelf without touching one another, unless they were standing side by side. Robin was very aware of this, it seemed, as his chest was suddenly pressed completely against Regina's back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina hissed quietly, hating herself for the fact that she definitely didn't _mind_ Robin's proximity to her, despite how incredibly inappropriate it was at the moment. Not that it mattered, seeing as Mr. Archibald hadn't even looked their direction yet.

"Me? I'm just getting my pencil," Robin whispered innocently, suddenly reaching around her to grab a pencil, which happened to be sitting on the opposite side of the table. She felt the movement of Robin sliding the pencil into his pocket, and she also felt Robin's hands suddenly touching each side of her waist, as he moved back around her to stand by her on his rightful side of the table again. If they weren't together, the movement would probably have passed for platonic. But they were together, and it was _not_ platonic, and Regina was not alright with the sudden spike in her heart rate.

"You cannot do things like that all class," Regina muttered, half out of genuine irritation with his antics, and the other half out of the fear of knowing that she couldn't possibly focus with him touching her like that.

"What, grab my pencil?" Robin smirked, knowing that he'd been successful in riling her up.

"Yes, things like grabbing your pencil," Regina retorted under her breath, scowling.

"My apologies, your Majesty."

"So this is what you meant by quality alone time?" Regina murmured, raising an eyebrow, and glancing at him sideways. Robin's already very present smirk deepened. She watched as he looked to make sure that Mr. Archibald wasn't paying attention, and suddenly he was ever so lightly pressing his lips against her ear, touching his forehead against her hair.

" _Exactly_ what I meant," he breathed. Regina felt a literal shiver run down her spine, as he lightly kissed her ear, before he pulled away completely. She looked over at him in utter shock, and was very annoyed to see that no one seemed the wiser, and that if anyone looked over at them right this second, Robin looked completely innocent. This was going to be a long class.

—-

The day passed by relatively quickly, and without any particularly horrible antidotes to report. Both of Regina's tests had gone excellently, and she felt confident that she had aced them both. This certainly couldn't do anything but help her, as Regina was working on ways to butter Cora up before she told her about Robin. And making good grades was certainly an excellent place to start.

Currently, Regina was making her way out to the lone, wooden table out by the entryway steps to the high school. She knew her friends and Robin would be waiting there. It was odd, it now felt wrong to classify Robin along with the rest of her friends. Yet, it also still felt bizarre to refer to him as her boyfriend. So, for now, it was just 'her friends and Robin'.

"Ah, there's our Evil Queen!" she heard Killian call out to her as she quickly descended the entryway steps towards their table.

"How did your tests go?" Emma asked pleasantly as Regina joined the little circle everyone was standing in. Mary Margaret and Gold were occupying both of the slots to Robin's sides, so Regina stood across from him. She made brief eye contact with him as a silent greeting. He shot her his signature half smile that made her go weak in the knees. Right, Emma asked a question…

"Really well, actually. Latin was a breeze, and I think I handled Pre-Cal alright. Thank you for asking, Emma. How was Pre-Cal for you, Snow?" Regina asked conversationally. She felt Robin smile at her when she said she'd done well.

"Also well! How was English, Emma, David?" Mary Margaret asked, passing the question around the circle.

In the background, Regina could hear her friends discussing how their tests had gone, and how their days in general had gone. And it wasn't that she didn't care, or didn't want to listen, she so did, she just suddenly found herself … distracted _._ How could she possibly be expected to pay attention to anything other than Robin giving her _his_ look?

—

"Alright, change of plans, as it happens, I will _not_ be attending Friday's movie night," Gold announced, setting his lunch tray down in his usual spot between Regina and Emma, and sliding into his seat. This got everyone's attention, as Gold was the last to join the table. Mary Margaret and David were speaking to one another quietly, as were Killian and Emma, and so, obviously, Regina and Robin were capitalizing on one of the few times they were able to speak intimately to one another without being thoroughly roasted by their friends. In the past two days, Regina and Robin had somewhat started to maneuver their way through being the newest couple in the friend group. So far, they had learned that, if they wished to avoid being harassed by their friends, they were to refrain pretty much from all touching in front of them. Fortunately, this hadn't proven too difficult so far, as Regina and Robin could scarcely get near one another in school anyways because of Cora. In addition, they had discovered that when they tried to speak only to one another, they would likely either be relentlessly teased, or just roped back into group conversation anyways. The only times this didn't seem to be the case, were during lunch before all members of the group had gotten to the table and separate conversations were allowed, or in the morning at Granny's, when Regina and Robin were the first to arrive and were already engaged in conversation when the friends got there.

Alas, the arrival of Gold marked the end of their lunch time, private conversation.

"And why won't you be attending movie night, Gold?" Emma asked. Gold shrugged.

"I made plans."

"Yes, we figured that when you said you wouldn't be attending movie night, that you would be attending something else. We would like to know what that is," Regina snarked, rolling her eyes. Gold gave another, indignant shrug.

"I don't have to tell you all my plans, Mom," Gold retorted, foolishly thinking that that would end the conversation.

"Would you prefer me to guess what I think your new plans are, Gold?" Regina asked slyly, very distinctly alluding to Belle. This got Gold's attention immediately, as he realized that, since Regina and Robin were no longer keeping their relationship a secret, they now had no reason not to expose Gold's hook up with Belle at Killian's party.

"I would rather you didn't-"

"Please tell me I'm not completely clueless about another relationship," Emma interrupted miserably, glancing back and forth between Gold and Regina.

"Oh my God, Gold, is this about Belle French again?" David suddenly interjected, seemingly very amused. Gold shot Regina a 'fix this, _NOW'_ look, but Regina had no intention of rescuing him. Robin took David's comment as the opportunity to jump in.

"Oh, it's always about Belle French, isn't it, Gold?" he mused, grinning at him playfully.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Gold muttered miserably, leaning back in his chair as everyone else burst into laughter. It was so rare to find an emotional weak spot in Gold, and there was no way in hell that they were going to let the opportunity to thoroughly humiliate him go to waste.

"This _never_ happens to you!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, prolonging everyone's laughter.

"Alright, Gold, fess up. What is going on with you and Belle?" Emma commanded, playfully shoving Gold's slumping shoulders. He sighed, and Regina watched in amusement as he weighed his options: deny, and endure endless nagging until he finally gave in, or just confess now and avoid later embarrassment.

"We… we hooked up at Killian's party," Gold confessed, heaving a very overdramatic sigh. Four pairs of eyebrows shot up into the air at this.

"Which, I would like the record to reflect, is how he knew about Robin and I," Regina pointed out.

"You walked in on them?" Killian practically shrieked at Gold, as though he had struck gold, gesturing to Robin and Regina. Gold was about to reply, before Robin interrupted.

"Oh, I wish. No, _we_ walked in on _them_ in the middle of… well, Gold, would you like to tell them what you were doing?" Robin interjected, smirking at Gold, who looked to be on the verge of passing out from embarrassment.

"We were, well, I was, I mean, she was-"

"I'm going to leave it at I got an eyeful of Belle's undergarments," Robin said, as he and Regina cracked up again at the memory.

"Aye, that's my man!" Killian shouted in encouragement, offering his hand out to Gold for a high five. Gold reluctantly returned the gesture, before Emma smacked Killian on the shoulder in disapproval.

"I'm happy for you, Gold!" Mary Margaret commented simply. Gold gave her a look of sheer bewilderment.

"You're _happy_ for me? How awkward."

"Not like _that_! I just meant I'm happy for you because you, you know, you like her!" Mary Margaret explained herself, rolling her eyes at his misunderstanding, but still smiling happily. Gold looked enraged by this comment.

"Alright, hold on, I absolutely do not-"

"Oh, you so do. We saw you looking at her at the dance," Regina said pointedly. Gold's cheeks undeniably turned a shade darker.

"I was not _looking_ at her, she was wearing yellow, it's a very bright color!" he protested feebly. Everyone rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Just admit it, you heartless crocodile. It's not such a bad thing," Killian said sympathetically, patting Gold on the shoulder. Gold gave a snort of derision.

"You're one to talk about 'just admitting it'!" he retorted aggressively, seemingly growing very tired of this discussion.

"He's got a point with that," Emma muttered, glancing at Killian sideways.

The subject was changed after that. Gold had suffered enough for one day.

"Well played, your Majesty," Robin said quietly to Regina, once everyone was caught up in some new subject matter.

"I've been waiting for that," Regina confessed, half smiling. Regina's heart practically leapt into her throat as she felt Robin's hand lightly move onto her thigh under the table.

"Are you still coming over after school? To see Roland?" Robin asked softly, without looking at her. He kept his eyes fixed on everyone else, as to avoid drawing attention.

"Wouldn't miss it."

—

Robin had asked Regina to come home from school with him Wednesday afternoon to visit Roland, who had been growing increasingly more eager to see her again. And, quite honestly, Robin was growing pretty desperate himself to spend some actual alone time with Regina. It wasn't that he truly minded not being able to be all over her in front of their friends, or that he didn't completely understand why they couldn't be open about their relationship at school because of her mother. And it wasn't like Robin was only in it so that he could hook up with her, but he just… _wanted_ her. Robin couldn't recall ever feeling this way about Marian. He couldn't recall ever being so utterly infatuated with her that he would've done literally anything just to be alone with her for a minute. It wasn't even that he just wanted to kiss her, or put his hands on her, he just wanted the _option_ to.

But, for the time being, Robin was certainly enjoying the feeling of Regina's black, leather gloved hand in his as they walked from school back to his house. She looked particularly gorgeous today, he noticed. Especially right now, as the cold had lightly reddened her nose and flushed her cheeks, and left her, dark, wavy hair slightly windblown.

When they arrived at his house, Robin pushed open his front door for her, and she stepped in before him. The house's warmth was an immediate relief for both of them, as the temperature outside was right above freezing, and they'd just endured a ten minute walk in it. Robin knew that he probably had about ten minutes to be alone with Regina before his father returned home with Roland, whom he was picking up from day care. Ten minutes. And Robin had every intention of capitalizing on them.

He watched as Regina casually set her black messenger bag onto his sofa, and began unbuttoning her dark grey peacoat. This revealed the very attractive black, v-necked cashmere sweater Regina was donning today. Robin had long since noticed that it wasn't often for Regina to wear things that particularly showed off her figure, and that when she did, it was something to be noticed and appreciated. Not to mention the fact that she was also wearing the pair of dark wash skinny jeans that Robin liked so much. Essentially, it was as though she knew just how much he was struggling with not being able to put his hands on her, and had decided to increase his suffering tenfold with her wardrobe choices.

"Can I just set this on the couch?" Regina asked, snapping Robin out of his trance. She was referring to her coat, which she'd just taken off. Robin nodded, and walked over to stand closer to her, but not too close as to suggest anything just yet.

"I don't think we've been this alone before," Regina said suddenly, taking Robin by surprise. Could she read his mind? God, he hoped not. She'd probably think him horribly horny and perverted. He wasn't really, of course, he just couldn't _help_ looking at her at the moment.

"Trust me, we haven't," Robin replied, smiling at her. Regina raised her eyebrows at him, which just made him want her even more.

"And you're not even flirting with me yet," Regina said coyly, running her hand through her hair, and lightly cocking her head to the side challengingly. Robin fought the rapidly growing urge to press her against the nearest wall and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. Instead, he took another step closer so that he could easily reach out and touch her if he moved his hands. His close proximity also made her have to look up at him, which he found utterly endearing.

"What would you like me to do?" he asked softly, genuinely interested in her response.

"Well, you've been remarkably well behaved the last three days… Does being discreet just come naturally to you?" she questioned, half flirting, half serious. Oh, if only she knew of the thoughts going through his mind every time she was even in the same room as him…

"Maybe I'm just good at keeping my thoughts to myself," Robin replied, half smiling knowingly. She grinned.

"What kind of thoughts?" she asked him, arching one flawless, dark eyebrow. Oh, well, now he just had to touch her, he really didn't feel that he could be blamed at this point.

"I really like these jeans," he told her, staring into her eyes as he lightly placed his hands on her hips. Just this small amount of contact felt way better than it probably should have. And Regina's coy, flirtatious expression really wasn't helping matters.

"Do you?"

"And this sweater too, I like it very much also."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm," Robin murmured in agreement, moving one of his hands from Regina's hip up to thread gently through her thick, ebony hair, and rest on her face. God, he'd already almost forgotten how incredibly soft her hair was…

And, naturally, just as he was preparing to finally kiss her, he heard the very distinct sound of his father's truck pulling into their driveway. Leave it to Tuck Locksley, who was always late, to be early on the one day when Robin would've given everything he had for him to be as tardy as normal. Robin groaned, and pressed his forehead miserably against Regina's.

"They're early," he explained quietly, chuckling lightly at their ironic misfortune. Regina laughed with him a little, as he forced himself to pull away from her entirely and open the front door for his father and little brother.

"I would like to kiss you again at some point in the future, you know," Regina called out to him playfully, quietly enough so that Roland and his father wouldn't be able to hear. This comment certainly did not help Robin's state of mind.

He didn't have time to respond, before his father and Roland were bounding through the front door.

"Hi, Robin!" Roland greeted him enthusiastically, giving him a huge hug. This greeting erased all of Robin's prior annoyance. He could never be unhappy to see Roland.

"How's it going, son?" Robin's father said, lightly touching him on the shoulder as he walked past the threshold. Meanwhile, Roland pulled away from Robin, and turned around to see Regina. Robin had purposely kept Regina's visit a secret from him, and watching the excitement register across Roland's face at seeing her assured him that this had been the right choice.

"Hey, Roland!" Regina said pleasantly, grinning at him widely. It was odd, Robin was not accustomed to seeing Regina grin this way at anyone, not even him. Yet, he knew that her expression towards Roland was not forced, or fake. He had only briefly heard Regina speak of Henry, and the joy that he'd brought her. And he knew that Roland probably brought her the same kind of joy. Seeing Regina grin that way gave Robin rather conflicting emotions. It delighted him to see her so happy, and he couldn't think of anything that could please him more than Regina and Roland getting along so well, but it also simultaneously broke his heart to be reminded just how much Regina had suffered when she'd lost Henry.

"GINA, GINA!" Roland practically shrieked when he saw Regina. He raced across the room and practically barreled into Regina's arms. The combination of the sound of Regina's laughter, and the ecstatic expression on Roland's face literally almost knocked Robin to the ground.

"Robin, Gina's here!" Roland exclaimed, looking back at Robin excitedly from Regina's embrace.

"Yeah, I can see that, little mate. She's here to hang out with you for a little while," Robin told him. Roland gave a little shout of excitement.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. He really does adore her," Robin's father said, bemused, joining the conversation for the first time. Regina blushed, suddenly seeming rather bashful. This was also not an emotion that Robin was used to seeing in Regina, and it took him a moment to understand why she was feeling anything less than her usual confident and suave self. And then he realized that this was the first time she had interacted with his father as his girlfriend.

"Right, Dad, you've already met Regina, of course," Robin tried to begin without sounding too terribly awkward. Regina smiled, looking so utterly lovable that Robin's heart literally hurt.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Locksley," she said from across the room, where Roland's embrace was holding her captive.

"Roland, why don't you go and take your backpack upstairs and change, yeah?" Robin suggested to Roland, who was still in his elementary, private school uniform. Roland appeared slightly unnerved by the idea at first, but seemed to decide that the idea of getting out of his khaki pants and tie was too tempting to pass up.

"Okay. Stay here, Gina!" Roland said to Regina, before dashing up the stairs. Regina laughed, and walked across the room to join Robin and his father.

"Good to see you again, also, Regina. Roland certainly is as captivated with you as Robin says," Robin's father said to her, extending his hand to shake hers. She smiled easily and took it.

"I'm really not sure what I did to inspire such affection, but I'm definitely not complaining," Regina responded with a calm smile, seeming much more at ease than she had initially. Of course, though, Tuck was not about to pass up the opportunity to humiliate Robin.

"Whatever it is, it's clearly contagious," he said pointedly, glancing at Robin and smirking. Regina flushed and bit her lip.

" _Dad,_ oh my God," Robin snapped miserably, glaring at him. Tuck just grinned.

"Nope, not God, son, I just work for him. Well, unfortunately, I've got to head back to the station, so I'll leave you guys to it," Tuck announced, just as Roland came bounding back down the stairs.

"Daddy, are you leaving?" Roland questioned his father sadly. Robin hated this part of the day. He hated how unhappy it always made Roland to see his father go. Of course, Robin didn't blame his father for providing for them, he just hated that it hurt Roland so much. It had always been so much easier when his mother was alive. But Robin had long since learned that it did nobody any good to dwell on all the things that had been easier when his mother was still alive.

Tuck scooped Roland up into his arms easily.

"Daddy's got to go to work. But I'll see you later tonight, buddy. Be good for your brother and Regina," Tuck said to Roland, giving him a swift kiss on the forehead and setting him back down in front of Robin. Though initially upset, Roland was used to this routine and recovered quickly.

"It was good to see you, Regina. I'll see you later tonight, Robin," Tuck said in farewell, as he disappeared back out the front door.

"Alright, little mate, what do you want to do this afternoon? Homework, I suppose?" Robin teased Roland, grinning at him. Roland made a loud noise of disgust in response to that, and vigorously shook his head, earning laughs from both Robin and Regina.

"Mario Kart?" Roland suggested hopefully, giving Robin his best puppy dog eyes. Ah, predictable as always. Regina shook her head and chuckled.

"It seems that I'm going to have to develop some skills at this game, doesn't it?" Regina asked, smiling. Roland cackled with glee.

"I beat Gina last time, Robin!" Roland informed Robin proudly, as though he hadn't spent the last month bragging about his victory over Regina.

"You most certainly did, sir. Maybe this time you can teach me, instead?" Regina played along, smiling infectiously at Roland. Watching this, Robin was 100% sure that if Regina ever flashed that smile at _him,_ he would have absolutely no hope of refusing her. Roland giggled and nodded excitedly, before taking Regina's hand and pulling her over to the couch in front of the TV, where the video game consul was located. Robin followed them, and flipped the television and game consul on for them.

"Am I just watching?" Robin asked, sitting down on the unoccupied side of Regina, after he'd set everything up for the game.

"No, no, Gina and I are going to be a team! She asked me to teach her," Roland explained to Robin, as though Robin was ridiculous for not understanding that he and Regina were obviously going to team against him. Robin couldn't help but smile at this.

"I see. Well, alright, I don't know if I stand a chance against the two of you, but I'll certainly do my best," Robin played along with Roland, looking over to subtly wink at Regina, who grinned.

They played a few rounds. Robin split the victories equally, allowing Roland to win twice, and rightfully claiming the other two for himself. Much to Robin's amusement, Regina actually was gaining considerable skill in the game, and her competitive side was slowly coming out to play.

"Roland, how would you feel about letting Regina face off against me by herself?" Robin asked Roland casually, hoping that he'd give in without argument.

"She's gonna beat you, Robin, she has a really good teacher!" Roland replied smugly, sticking his tongue out at Robin playfully. Robin and Regina both laughed at that, as Roland handed Regina the controller.

"Don't let me win, thief," Regina whispered to Robin when Roland wasn't looking. Robin grinned. He looked over at Regina for a brief moment, and took the shortest of seconds to consider how purely content he was here with her. He probably couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend an afternoon if he tried.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

—-

Overall, it had been an exceptionally good week. Regina had made A+'s on every single one of her four tests, which, quite honestly, even she didn't think she truly deserved due to the dismal amount of hard studying she'd done. But, regardless, she certainly wasn't complaining. Additionally, she hadn't had a single explosive fight with Zelena all week, which was a very rare occurrence, and she'd even managed to earn a grudging compliment from Cora about her stellar grades. Furthermore, she had solid, easygoing, plans for the weekend. She was going to have her movie night with Emma and Snow tonight (Gold was quite lucky he'd managed to make other plans, because the worst kind of chick flick definitely would have been in his future if he hadn't), and she and Robin were planning on spending Saturday together. They were going to spend the day with Roland, and the evening on their own, since Tuck had Saturday night off this week.

This alone time with Robin was desperately needed, as Regina and Robin still hadn't been able to score more than two minutes alone together since Sunday morning, and Regina was starting to go a little bit insane. She had not kissed him once since that morning. Every time they even got close, one of their friends was always walking up to join them, or a teacher was walking by, or they were in the view of some gossiping underclassmen, or Tuck and Roland were home early, or just _something_ was preventing them. Aside from the occasional hand holding, and the even rarer touching of her hips or her waist for a brief second, or maybe a light touch to her face, she and Robin hadn't touched at all. And, quite frankly, Regina didn't know how much longer she could stand it. She legitimately did not believe that she could make it another 24 hours without literally jumping into Robin's arms and kissing him senseless.

Fortunately, she was reasonably convinced that she was about to be sated. Robin was walking her home from school, and she knew that Cora and Zelena were supposed to be at school for at least another hour. Cora for a staff meeting, and Zelena, for a theater/drama club assembly. Although Robin wouldn't be able to stay long, since he had to be back at school to get ready to leave for his football game by 4:30, Regina felt confident that she would at least be able to be tided over until tomorrow evening.

Conversation was flowing naturally between the two of them, until they reached Regina's lawn.

"Do you, uh, want to come in for a second?" Regina asked him, as they reached her front porch. She knew full well that Robin would understand what she was implying. Much to her disappointment, though not fully to her surprise, Robin sighed and shook his head.

"Believe me, I want to, but I really don't think I have time," Robin said hesitantly, seeming very conflicted. It was a little amusing just how torn he looked.

"No, you're right, I don't want you to be late," she replied easily. But, oh, she was not giving up so easily. Regina had considerable experience with making out on her front porch. She had learned from her many front porch moments with Daniel, that if she and Robin stood behind one of the two, large white pillars of the porch, that they would be sufficiently concealed from onlooking pedestrians, so long as none of them were looking too hard. So, it was really fine that Robin wasn't able to come inside.

Regina casually moved over so that she was leaning her back up against one of the pillars, doing what she could with her eyes to wordlessly tell Robin what she wanted.

And Robin wasn't slow to understand. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly very aware of what Regina was getting at. He took a step closer to her, so that he was now gently pressing her back against the pillar. Regina's heart sped in anticipation.

"Not very romantic, I know," Regina said softly, as Robin got steadily closer. He chuckled lightly. It was so cold outside that she could see his breath, and he was so close to her that she could feel it on her face. Robin slowly brought his hands up to rest on the sides of her waist, as he usually did. Meanwhile, Regina's heart rate continued increasing.

"Regina, right now I would settle for a gas station bathroom, just as long as our friends weren't watching," Robin murmured, before finally, _finally_ pressing his lips against hers.

It was everything she'd remembered and more. His lips were so soft, but so firm against hers, and his hands were gentle but sure. He smelled as intoxicating as she'd remembered, fresh and forest-like as ever. She was still working on defining what he tasted like, but she had pinned down that he just tasted… fresh. Not minty, necessarily, but just clean and delicious. And it was so incredibly addictive. Regina felt her hands softly grip onto the sides of Robin's lightly scruff covered face, holding him to her. Honestly, it was something of a miracle that she hadn't passed out yet, because the way that Robin was kissing her so urgently, yet so gently, was making her legs feel frighteningly like they might just give out from under her at any moment. Robin slowly slid his hands up from her hips, to her waist, and then all the way up so that they could take her face into both of his hands, tangling into her hair. His lips became a bit more insistent against hers, and she instinctively opened her mouth to his. Daniel had never had much skill with using his tongue, but Robin… well, Robin apparently had more skill than Regina thought possible. For a moment, he just gently moved his tongue around with hers, before he caused Regina to let out an involuntary moan of pleasure by lightly sucking on her lower lip. This really motivated her. She found herself grabbing the collar of Robin's leather jacket with both her hands and standing higher onto her toes so that she could reach him better. Robin moved his hands back onto her hips to steady her, before easily moving them down to rest on her ass. And then Regina was the one pressing her tongue against Robin's, causing him to emit a similar sound of pleasure. It relieved her to know that he was enjoying her even a fraction as much as she was enjoying him.

Robin leaned forward slightly, pushing Regina back flat onto her feet against the pillar again. He moved his hands back up to her face, and pressed another, soft kiss against her lips. Regina opened her eyes again, very curious as to why he'd decided to stop the glorious thing that was transpiring on her front porch.

"It probably wouldn't hurt if I went inside for a second, right?" Robin murmured softly, half smiling at her. Regina laughed quietly.

She was just about to respond that, no, it wouldn't hurt a bit, when she heard potentially the worst sound she had ever heard in her entire life. It was a very distinctive clearing of the throat, one that Regina had heard several times in her life, and one that, in this particular moment, made the temperature of her blood drop a few degrees. It was Zelena, who was very smugly leaning up against the other pillar on the porch, comfortably observing Robin and Regina. Regina had no clue how long she'd been standing there, nor how she had possibly not noticed her arrival, but neither mattered. All that mattered was that Zelena had blatantly seen them, and that there was probably next to nothing that Regina could do to get her from telling Cora.

"It might hurt a little bit, actually," Zelena quipped, smiling venomously, her emerald green eyes dancing with excitement at the scene she'd stumbled upon. Regina shot out of Robin's arms immediately, and began quickly readjusting her clothing, because she really couldn't think of anything else to do. Robin sort of did the same, in a more masculine way.

"I… I, uh, I thought you had a meeting," Regina heard herself mutter uncertainly, unable to bare making eye contact with Zelena at the moment. Oh, brilliant, good one, Regina.

"And I thought you had a brain. Guess we were both wrong, huh?" Zelena snarked maliciously.

"Regina, should I, um, should I…?" Robin said uncomfortably, gesturing to the front lawn, asking whether or not he should leave. Regina honestly wasn't sure if that would make things better or worse at this point.

"Oh, but I don't believe we've met! I'm Zelena," Zelena said sarcastically, as though she didn't know exactly who Robin was. Storybrook was an extraordinarily small town, and Robin was a transfer student from _England._ It was humanly impossible that she did not know who he was, not to mention the fact that he was Regina's lab partner and was in her friend group.

Though Regina knew that Robin was aware of this, he nodded and very awkwardly held out his hand for Zelena to shake anyways. Zelena smirked.

"Forgive me if I don't shake, it's just, you know, I saw where your hands just were," she said complacently. Robin reacted much better to this than Regina would have, and shot her an easy smile in response.

"I completely understand. Lovely to meet you," he replied, doing very little to mask the utter loathing and sarcasm in his tone. Though his knowledge of Zelena was limited, from what he did know, he knew that he did not like her one bit.

Regina suddenly felt very obliged to get Robin out of his horrendous situation. He did not deserve to deal with the hell that was Zelena, and she felt determined to rescue him.

"Well, now that you've been properly introduced, Robin, you should probably get going," Regina said to him, doing her very best to keep her voice steady and collected. He smiled at her genuinely for a moment, understanding that she was attempting to rescue him.

"Right. Well, I'll, uh, I'll see you later, Regina," Robin said, accepting her help. He knew better than to touch her again in front of Zelena, so he just shot her his most adorable half smile that he seemed to have reserved just for her, and descended Regina's front porch steps. Regina watched for a moment as he disappeared from sight, before returning her attention to Zelena.

"Well, he seems just wonderful! I'm sure our mother will agree. You know how she adores boys with criminal records," Zelena said coolly, raising her eyebrows tauntingly and disappearing into the house. This left Regina out on the cold, front porch to mull over her own misfortune, and how she was possibly going to avoid Cora's wrath.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"You and Robin have to do _what_?" Emma practically shouted across the booth, drawing several confused and aggravated stares from the other customers inside Granny's diner. Emma, however, was oblivious to this as she gaped at Regina.

"Me, Robin, Cora, Zelena, dinner, tonight," Regina reiterated miserably, heaving yet another deep sigh of dread at the idea. Mary Margaret shook her head from next to Regina.

"But… but it's too early! I mean, how did-" Emma began to question confusedly. Regina willed the sudden flush in her cheeks to disappear. She didn't much enjoy the memory of being caught red handed by her wicked sister while she was rather passionately making out with Robin on her front porch.

"Zelena," Regina interrupted. "She caught Robin and I yesterday afternoon while we were, um, we were-"

"You were..?" Mary Margaret teased, grinning, as she knew full well what kind of thing Zelena must have seen. Regina glared at her, but the flush in her cheeks deepened.

"We might have been making out… on my front porch," Regina admitted to her two friends, sighing reluctantly as she awaited their reactions. As expected, both of them roared with laughter.

"Okay, that sucks a dick that Zelena caught you, but, Jesus, Regina, what the hell were you thinking, making out on your front porch?!" Emma snickered.

"Seriously, if you were trying to hide it from your mother and Zelena, why did you even bring Robin anywhere near your house?" Snow questioned which genuine confusion. Regina momentarily hated them both for thinking she was that stupid. Obviously, she wouldn't have brought Robin within a mile of her home if she hadn't had good reason to believe that Cora and Zelena would be detained at school.

"I was _told_ that they would be at school until 5:30! How the hell was I supposed to know that Zelena would bail on her meeting and come home two hours early?" Regina snapped irritably, rolling her eyes.

Emma raised an eyebrow in understanding, but still continued to chuckle.

"Wait, so Zelena caught you yesterday afternoon and _already_ told Cora? That was quick, wasn't it?" Snow mused, shaking her head at Regina's misfortunate. This comment caused Regina to take a brief moment to consider just how much she despised her sister. Then again, it was probably better that Zelena had told Cora quickly and just gotten it over with, rather than holding it over Regina's head in blackmail.

"That's Zelena for you. Not even ten minutes after Cora walked in the door, she managed to innocently slide into conversation that 'she didn't know I had started dating Robin Locksley'," Regina explained, shaking her head with annoyance.

"She is actually so obnoxious," Emma said with disgust and aggravation. Snow nodded her head in vehement agreement.

"So, what did Cora do?" Snow asked Regina sympathetically. Regina groaned.

"Immediately marched up to my room, and demanded information," Regina replied, as though this was the obvious answer.

"And what exactly did you tell her? Did you mention the part where you guys spent the night together at Killian's?" Emma smirked, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Regina glared at her.

" _No,_ Ms. Swan, I did not. I told her that we struck up a connection through being lab partners," Regina told them. It wasn't a complete lie, after all. Regina was sure that she inevitably would have fallen for Robin anyways, even if they hadn't been lab partners, but their chemistry class had certainly sped up the process. Emma and Mary Margaret both gave snorts of derision at this explanation.

"Ah, yes, something like it was only a matter of time before you two chemistry experts noticed the chemistry between yourselves?" Emma chortled derisively. Regina rolled her eyes yet again, but couldn't deny that she certainly was giving her friends room to mock her at the moment.

"Did she believe it?" Snow asked. Regina shrugged, and made a face indicating that she was unsure.

"I guess so. But she is Cora, so I'm sure she suspects that there were other far more sinister factors that came into play, but I think she bought that chemistry class was a part of it," Regina responded. Emma nodded thoughtfully, while Snow just shrugged.

"I mean, that's not really a lie. I'm sure chemistry class _did_ help the process along," Snow commented simply.

"I mean, the fact that, since she's Cora, and she considers me the most unattractive creature on the face of the Earth, she probably assumes that I'm putting out or something. Because, obviously, there's no other reason that anyone would be interested in me," Regina said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Emma cracked up at this, while Mary Margaret just shook her head sadly at the tragedy that was Regina and Cora's relationship.

"Are you? You know, putting out?" Emma asked, smirking immaturely. She was obviously kidding, but Regina couldn't help rolling her eyes at the sheer impossibility of her suggestion.

"Exactly when would Robin and I find the time to have sex? We can barely even find the time to hold hands with all of you keeping us under constant surveillance!" Regina retorted pointedly, arching an eyebrow at Emma, who suddenly looked slightly guilty. Snow smirked.

"Well, you certainly managed to have some quality alone time on your front porch, didn't you?" Snow teased. Regina sighed, briefly reminiscing about how wonderful kissing Robin had been until Zelena had shown up. Regina felt that it was practically a tragedy that she and Robin now had to forfeit their Saturday night alone-time plans to have dinner with Cora. Regina didn't think she could possibly face another week like the last one, where she was permitted nothing but fleeting glances and the sparing touch from Robin.

"That was the first time we've actually kissed since the homecoming dance," Regina confessed, sighing and shaking her head at she and Robin's horrendous luck. Snow and Emma exchanged a glance of shock, and gaped at Regina.

"Seriously?! Killian and I made out four times this week, and we aren't even dating!" Emma exclaimed, her green eyes wide with surprise. Regina rolled her eyes at this. How typical.

"God, that's awful, I'm so sorry," Snow said sympathetically. Regina sighed, trying not to think too much about she and Robin's lack of physical contact as of late.

"Yes, well, thank God we now get to spend tonight with Cora and Zelena instead of alone," Regina said sarcastically. Emma and Snow both laughed.

"Do you think it'll be that awful? What do you think Cora is going to do to him?" Emma asked Regina nervously. Regina laughed a little, in spite of herself, at the way Emma thought of Cora as some kind of evil sorceress. Honestly, Regina didn't think that this comparison was horribly inaccurate.

"She probably won't be as horrible to Robin as she will be to Regina," Snow commented thoughtfully. Regina was momentarily surprised at Snow's sudden insight into Cora's strategies, since Snow was usually the one trying to justify most of Cora's awful behavior.

"I agree. I assume that she'll just… test him," Regina said slowly.

"What does that even mean?" Emma asked confusedly.

"It means that she'll probably ask him a lot of really passive aggressive things, nothing that's blatantly evil on the surface, and nothing he can directly get offended by, and see how he responds. And then, if that doesn't rile him up, she'll resort to just attacking me to see whether he comes to my rescue or not," Regina explained to Emma, sighing. She hated the thought of subjecting Robin to this awful event. As Emma had commented earlier… it _was_ too early. Regina couldn't deny that the insecure part of her was terrified that Robin wouldn't be able to stomach Cora and Zelena, and would break up with her because of the drama. Besides, boyfriend, dinner interrogations with Daniel had been horrific enough, and that was when Regina's father had been alive… Regina could hardly even fathom what it would be like without having her father as a buffer zone.

"Out of curiosity, is Robin supposed to come to your rescue or not?" Snow asked Regina. Regina sighed again.

"Honestly, it's kind of lose-lose. If he comes to my rescue, Cora will hate him for being impolite and disrespecting her. And if he doesn't, she'll be able to poke and prod at me forever about how Robin either agrees with whatever she says, or doesn't care enough about me to defend me. There's really no right answer," Regina answered miserably. Emma grimaced.

"Which is the better option, do you think?" she asked Regina.

"Definitely Cora poking and prodding at me. I'm used to dealing with her, and I would much prefer that I be the object of her humiliation, rather than Robin," Regina answered with no hesitation. It wasn't as though Regina wasn't used to Cora's constant nitpicking and insults. Robin, on the other hand… Well, Regina was pretty sure that she would rather die than let Robin subject himself to Cora's wrath on her behalf.

"Poor Robin," Emma commented sadly, shaking her head.

"Poor _Regina_. How are you holding up, are you nervous?" Snow asked Regina gently, taking Regina by surprise with the sudden change of tone. Truth be told, Regina was terrified. She couldn't shake the petrifying fear that Robin was going to back out after seeing all of the baggage that she came with.

"A little," Regina answered distantly, doing what she could to downplay exactly how much. But Snow and Emma saw right through her.

"You're terrified, clearly. What are you worried about?" Snow asked. Regina sighed, and decided to just be honest with her friends for a second. She felt herself a little bit in need of comfort at the moment.

"I'm… I'm scared that he's going to bolt, and decide that it isn't worth it after he sees what being with me comes with," Regina confessed honestly. Snow and Emma exchanged a glance that Regina couldn't quite decipher. It was almost like they thought what she'd said was amusing, like both of them knew some crucial piece of information that Regina didn't.

"Yeah, I really don't think you need to worry about that," Emma scoffed, half smiling at Regina.

"Definitely not," Mary Margaret confirmed. Regina knit her eyebrows together in confusion at their certainty.

"And what makes the two of you so confident?" Regina snapped, not particularly enjoying being the one confused about her own relationship with Robin.

"Regina, just because you're somehow completely oblivious to the way that Robin looks at you, and just how much he clearly likes you, does not mean that the rest of us are," Snow answered her, laughing with Emma. Regina was becoming exceedingly tired of hearing about this alleged look that Robin was apparently always giving her. Yes, occasionally, he did give her that half smile where his deep blue eyes completely softened as they took her in, but that was only on occasion, it certainly wasn't constant. If it were, Regina undoubtedly would have had a heart attack by now.

"He doesn't look at me like anything," Regina muttered bashfully. Snow and Emma just shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

"The point is, don't worry about Robin going anywhere. But that thing where he comes to your rescue, you might need to worry about that," Emma said. Regina sighed, knowing that Emma certainly had a point with that. Regina really couldn't imagine that if Cora started attacking her, that Robin would remain silent. Unless she gave him fair warning. Robin was exceedingly noble, if nothing else. Even if she wasn't his girlfriend, Regina suspected that Robin would be the first to try and save her from Cora if the situation presented itself.

"I guess I'll just have to warn him?" Regina said unsurely, glancing back and forth between Emma and Snow for approval.

"Good luck with that," Emma said, chuckling doubtfully and raising her eyebrows.

"It'll all be okay, Regina, I promise," Snow said comfortingly, ignoring Emma, and smiling warmly at Regina. Regina prayed to God that she was right.

—

Prior to these cursed dinner plans with Cora, Regina did not think that there would ever be a time when she was _dreading_ Robin's arrival. Despite Emma and Mary Margaret's comforting words, Regina could not have been more nervous if she tried. The one benefit to this was that she now had absolutely no appetite, which could potentially reduce the amount of comments that Cora made about her size. She was particularly dreading these comments tonight, as she was already feeling a little insecure all on her own. She knew that she was expected to put actual effort into her appearance for dinner, and, for some reason, Regina always felt more insecure and vulnerable when she was actually trying to look good. If she wasn't trying at all, she could justify Cora's awful comments to herself with the fact that it wasn't as though she were _trying_ to look good in the first place. But when she really was attempting to look good and Cora insulted her, it actually did hurt, because she _was_ trying. And Regina was trying particularly hard tonight.

She had outfitted herself in a satin, deep red, wrap top that was tied around her waist with a satin, black ribbon, tied in an unassuming bow at her left hip. And, in an attempt to keep Cora's comments about her figure to a minimum, she'd paired it with her most flattering pair of black skinny jeans, and had even taken Cora's often given advice about wearing heels to make herself appear less 'short and stocky'. She'd selected the casual, black leather heels that she'd worn to Killian's party weeks before. In addition, Regina had curled her hair into loose, dark waves that hung just to her breasts. She'd even taken special care with her makeup, adding a little more mascara here, a little more concealer there, and finishing it off with a very light coating of dark red lipstick.

And, besides, it wasn't just Cora's approval that she was after tonight. When Regina had been dating Daniel, she'd rarely ever felt the need to really try with her appearance. Daniel had found her attractive in middle school, so she'd always felt reasonably confident that he found her equally as good looking in high school (seriously, middle school Regina left a bit to be desired…). But Robin… Well, she still felt an almost embarrassing need to impress him, to give him some concrete reason as to why he'd taken an interest in her in the first place. Not to mention the fact that, subconsciously, Regina suspected that she was trying just a little bit to butter him up for the hell that Cora was sure to put him through. Maybe if she could remind him that he was attracted to her, it would give him more incentive to deal with Cora.

The overbearing, grand doorbell echoed throughout the house, snapping Regina out of her rather nerve-wracking and uncomfortable train of thought. While Cora and Zelena were in the kitchen and dining room, Regina had made a point to be standing right by the front door at the exact moment when Robin was supposed to be arriving, which was 7:00. Regina had instigated this plan so that she could covertly sneak outside and very quickly explain to Robin exactly what was going to happen at this horrific dinner before she let him in. She intended to explain to him that he needed to keep his cool when Cora, inevitably, asked disgustingly offensive questions, disguised masterfully with passive aggressive politeness and condescension. And that, when she failed to rile him up with this method, that he absolutely should _not_ come to her rescue when Cora, also inevitably, began harassing Regina.

"I'm going to let Robin in!" Regina announced to nobody in particular, before quickly darting out the front door, and shutting it quietly behind her. She was immediately hit with a gust of frigid wind and the icy chill of the air. She really should have planned this out better. She should have just had this conversation with him beforehand, or at least she should've brought a jacket…

Robin looked perfect, as always. She'd asked him to wear dress pants and a button down shirt, but no tie, so that Cora couldn't imply that he was a slob with no manners, nor that he was trying too hard. Robin had outfitted himself in a sky blue button down dress shirt, his black slacks that fit him way too well, and black dress shoes. Regina was almost knocked off her feet by the sheer wave of simultaneous affection and attraction that hit her upon seeing him. God, how she despised Cora for ripping the possibility of a night alone with Robin away from her…

"You know, I think it's customary for the guest to be let into the house, rather than the host to come outside," Robin teased, half smiling at her. Regina's heart skipped a beat, and her stomach felt like it was utterly and completely melting. These sensations caused her to make a probably very unwise decision.

Regina felt herself grab Robin by the collar of his shirt with both of her hands, and she just kissed him. She legitimately couldn't help herself, he was too perfect. Robin, though initially surprised, responded quickly, and his hands immediately settled on either side of her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Before Regina could allow herself to be sucked into the heaven that was kissing Robin, she reminded herself of the reason that she was out here in the freezing cold with him, and that time was of the essence at the moment. It wouldn't be long before Cora and Zelena wondered where they were. So she compelled herself to pull away from him. Much to her pleasure, Robin didn't remove his hands from her body. She forced herself to focus anyways.

"Hello to you too. What was that for?" Robin mused, briefly shooting her that adoring look of his that made Regina weak in the knees. Goodness, couldn't he just _not_ be so utterly charming for a minute so that Regina could speak?

"Repayment," Regina responded breathlessly. Robin knit his eyebrows together in bewilderment.

"I'm positive that you don't owe me anything," he responded confusedly, chuckling lightly. Regina sighed.

"Trust me, I will after this dinner," she said anxiously, crossing her arms both on instinct and to preserve warmth. Robin sighed, and stared at her deeply, seeming to sense just how worried she was. He shook his head.

"Regina, relax, everything is going to be fine. You look beautiful, by the way," Robin said gently, moving his hands upwards so that they could run up and down her arms to warm them slightly. Regina's heart melted all over again. Robin had never called her beautiful before… He'd told her that she was 'pleasant to look at', and he'd told her that she looked 'stunning' before, but never beautiful. And, for a moment, the mere idea that Robin thought she was beautiful was enough to make all of her concerns disappear.

She just grinned up at him like an idiot in response, which he seemed to understand was her wordless way of thanking him for the compliment.

"Listen, before we go in there, I have to explain to you what's going to happen and what you need to do," Regina said, having regained her composure. Robin laughed quietly.

"You make it sound like you're about to perform surgery on me," he joked, grinning. Regina wished he wouldn't be so jocular and light hearted about this.

"Robin…"

"Alright, alright I'm done. Talk to me," Robin encouraged, smiling at her in a way that she really didn't deserve. _Focus_ , Regina…

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, but she's going to try and make you feel as inferior and uncomfortable as possible. And it's going to be the worst, but I am begging you, for your sake and for mine, that you try and remain as calm and unbothered as you possibly can," Regina explained to him, watching his face closely for signs that he might bolt as she spoke. But Robin just nodded, seemingly unsurprised by this information.

"Alright, that was to be expected. I can handle that, so if that's all that you're worried about…" Robin trailed off, smiling with relief. But, oh, Regina wasn't done.

"Actually, that's the part I wasn't as worried about… I know you can keep calm, I trust you completely on that front, but it's what happens after my mother fails to rile you up that's worrying me," Regina said slowly, trying to figure out how to word this next part. Robin looked at her confusedly. How exactly was she supposed to tell her boyfriend _not_ to defend her?

"What do you mean?" Robin questioned. Regina sighed.

"Do you remember when we discussed things to avoid doing if we don't want to irritate one another?" Regina asked tentatively. Robin arched an eyebrow.

"Considering that it was less than a week ago, yes I do."

"Consider this one of mine. After my mother realizes that she can't phase you directly, she's going to start attacking me instead to see how you react. And I need you… _not_ to defend me. At all," Regina tried to explain clearly. This, however, did seem to bother Robin. Much more than she'd hoped that it would.

"You mean that I should just sit there and let her insult you?" he asked in bewilderment, looking for confirmation with the look of sheer confusion that he was giving. Regina nodded immediately.

"It won't do anyone any favors if you try and rescue me," Regina said matter of factly. Robin gaped at her.

"Regina-"

"I promise you, I will not be sitting there silently waiting for you to come to my defense. I will be upset with you if you do defend me, not if you don't," Regina interrupted him, trying to end this conversation as quickly as she could.

"Regina, you can't seriously be expecting me to just sit idly by and let your mother attack-"

"That is exactly what I am expecting you to do. If you disagree with her, it'll just make her hate you for being disrespectful, and the last thing we want is for my mother to hate you," Regina explained, sighing. She took a moment to consider how truly sad it was that she was having to have this conversation with Robin in the first place. She quickly wondered what it might be like to have a normal mother, who didn't thoroughly enjoy ripping her apart and making her feel small in front of her boyfriend.

"I don't give a damn how your mother feels about me-"

"I know that, but what I'm trying to tell you is that you _should._ Not only is she the principal of your high school, but having Cora hate you will only make it more difficult for you and I to spend time together," Regina interrupted him. Robin considered this for a moment, and, while he seemed to be backing down a little, he didn't seem fully convinced either.

"Alright, I can understand that. Regina, I promise that I'll try, but I really don't know if I'm capable of _agreeing_ with whatever horrible things that your mother says about you," he said doubtfully, shaking his head.

"You don't necessarily need to agree, you just need to not… _dis_ agree," Regina said slowly. Robin nodded, taking this information in.

"And you promise that you won't be upset?" Robin asked sheepishly, seeming very, very worried about this course of action. Regina's heart melted for a third time at how much the sheer idea of her being hurt seemed to bother him. She instinctively placed both of her hands on his lightly scruffy cheeks, and brought his gaze sturdily to hers.

"I promise. And I'm… I'm so sorry that you even have to deal with this at all," Regina said nervously, sighing. Robin shook his head immediately, and gently placed his hands back onto her hips.

"Worth it," he murmured, before he lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. Regina was amazed that she didn't pass out on the spot from the dizziness of feeling herself fall even harder for Robin.

—

Things weren't going quite as horribly as Robin had been mentally preparing himself for. They'd been seated at the table for a solid ten minutes, and things weren't too terrible yet. Robin was seated on Regina's right, while Cora was at the head of the table to Regina's left, and Zelena sat directly across from Regina.

Cora had prepared a 'simple' meal of chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, since she didn't know what kind of things that Robin 'typically' ate. Perhaps if Regina hadn't warned Robin that everything Cora said to him was going to be passive aggressive and condescending, he might not have read this to mean that she was calling him slightly lower class. But this kind of comment really didn't bother Robin, he had no trouble staying calm in situations such as these. But what did bother him was how very obviously nervous and on edge Regina was next to him. He couldn't help watching as she fidgeted uneasily, her foot constantly tapping the carpeted floor beneath them. The way that she was cutting up her food and pushing it around her plate but hardly eating it, as though afraid of what Cora would say if she did. It was almost just downright bizarre for Robin to witness Regina so… unsure of herself, so docile, so compliant and subservient. For him to see her without her biting and confident wit, and almost overwhelming intelligence. And he hated seeing her without her sense of humor, without the sparkle in her eyes when she was going to say something witty, without the air of comfort she had around her friends. For some reason, Robin couldn't get the awful mental image of a younger Regina growing up in this environment. Being constantly insulted and nitpicked by Cora, believing that she was never good enough. But, in some ways, it made the fact that Regina had turned out so utterly gorgeous and strong even more endearing.

Zelena had scarcely spoken so far, which he couldn't say that he minded. Robin took a brief second to ponder how it was possible that Zelena and Regina could even be related, let alone be _sisters._ While Regina's hair was as dark as a raven's, Zelena's was almost alarmingly red. While Regina's eyes were a deep chocolate brown, Zelena's were a piercing shade of emerald green. Regina's features, just in general, were overall dark, while Zelena's were completely light. Not to mention the fact that Zelena was a good five inches taller than Regina, and couldn't have had a more different body type. Though Robin certainly wasn't attracted to Zelena himself, he had to concede that she was rather pretty, in a sort of sharp and aggressive kind of way. But Robin preferred brunettes, he always had. And he had never much been attracted to the tall and beanpole thin body type, he had always been captivated by a shorter, curvier figure. This inevitably steered Robin's mind toward Regina, with her dark hair and flawless body. And the red satin top she was wearing, which so very nicely accentuated the curve of her waist. And how utterly fantastic her ass looked in her black jeans as she walked in front of him… Jesus, Robin, not the kind of thoughts to be entertaining right now…

"So, Robin, tell me, how have you been adjusting to Storybrook High so far?" Cora asked easily, snapping Robin out of his rather inappropriate dinnertime thoughts. Robin cleared his throat and took a sip of his water.

"Really well, actually. I was incredibly nervous, you know, coming all the way from England… But I've just had the best experience so far," Robin responded conversationally, smiling politely. Growing up, Robin's mother had done absolutely everything that she could to instill the best of table and conversation manners in him. And Robin intended to make her proud tonight.

"I'm just thrilled to hear that. How are your classes treating you, not too difficult, I hope?" Cora questioned, smiling condescendingly as though she expected that Robin would be struggling with his classes. Robin found this question slightly annoying, since he knew that Cora had ample access to his grades as the principal, and he knew that his grades were good.

"Nothing too horrible so far," Robin responded, smiling tightly. Cora glanced over at Regina, who was cutting up her chicken into impossibly smaller pieces.

"Well, Regina certainly leaves room for improvement in her grades, don't you, dear?" Cora said passive aggressively to Regina, who snapped her head up to give her attention to Cora. Robin momentarily forgot where they were, and instinctively expected Regina to snap back with some witty or sarcastic dig, before remembering who was insulting her. Regina flushed a little, but smiled calmly anyways.

"I've been working harder, Mother," Regina responded mechanically, as though she had this answer memorized, or was reading from a script. Robin found Cora's insult to be rather poorly timed, since Regina's grades were undoubtedly better than Robin's anyways. Cora took no notice of Regina's discomfort, and instead turned her attention to Zelena.

"Zelena is going to be the valedictorian of her class," Cora announced proudly, looking at Zelena fondly. Zelena beamed proudly, while simultaneously attempting to appear modest, with a shoulder shrug as though it were no big deal. It was obvious, however, that Zelena relished her mother's attention, especially when it involved one upping Regina. Regina, meanwhile, remained perfectly impassive and collected. Robin remembered again that this type of awful conversation was probably nothing new to her. Still, he felt compelled to help her at least a little bit.

"What even is your class rank, Regina?" Robin asked, speaking to Regina directly for the first time since they had sat down to dinner. Regina was about to respond, before Cora interrupted.

"Second. Despite her… _best_ efforts, Regina just can't seem to surpass Mr. Gold. Isn't that right, Regina?" Cora said pointedly, arching an eyebrow to Regina. Robin momentarily ignored the terribly condescending and insulting way that Cora had just addressed Regina to be completely shocked and amused that _Gold_ was their class valedictorian. Of all people!

"I'm sorry, _Gold_ is our valedictorian?" Robin practically scoffed, unable to help himself. Regina relaxed a little bit, and laughed lightly.

"Always has been," Regina confirmed. "You didn't think all that evil genius went towards nothing, did you?" she added under her breath. Robin grinned.

"Well, unfortunately colleges don't care how close you are, or how hard you work, they just care about the end result," Cora commented abstractly, as though this weren't pointed directly at Regina.

"I still have two more years, Mother," Regina said calmly. Robin was fascinated with her ability to stay so cool and collected. If his father spoke to him this way, Robin would probably do everything short of punching him.

"Speaking of college, Robin, do you have any plans, aspirations?" Cora asked, shifting the attention back to Robin again. Robin really didn't mind the spotlight; anything to keep Regina out of the crossfires.

"Honestly, not at the moment. I had a few ideas when I was living back in England. But since now I'm most likely going to stay in the United States, I'm not really sure. Probably somewhere close by, so that I can be near Roland," Robin answered the question honestly. He hadn't had the time to give college any proper consideration lately. Not really since his mother had died, frankly. Now there were always a million more pressing issues demanding his attention, and he scarcely found the time to envision the future.

"Roland is your…?" Cora questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"My little brother. He's four."

"I see. Well, Robin, admirable and sentimental as wanting to remain close to your little brother may be, I'm sure he'd want you to go wherever is in your best interest," Cora said thoughtfully. It wasn't an inherently rude comment, but Robin didn't particularly like the direction the conversation was heading.

"It's not just for sentimental reasons, Mother. Robin's father has to work a lot, and Robin has practically raised Roland," Regina told her mother, seemingly also bothered by the tone that Cora was taking towards the subject of Robin's relationship with Roland. For about the 100th time this evening, Robin took a moment to revel in just how much he liked and appreciated her.

"Is your father a single parent?" Cora asked, doing very little to conceal the judgment and disapproval embedded in her question. Oh, now Robin _really_ did not like this conversation or the woman leading it.

" _Mother_ -" Regina began to warn, but Robin had no intention of letting Regina be scolded for defending him.

"My mother passed away two years ago," Robin said matter of factly, hoping to make Cora feel like as much of an asshole as possible. But, of course, the woman lacked all sense of common decency, and therefore this proved impossible. She didn't appear even slightly embarrassed by her rather rude assumption.

"I see. I'm very sorry to hear that, Robin. As I'm sure you know, the three of us can certainly relate to those feelings of loss and pain," Cora said, gesturing to Regina and Zelena, her voice suddenly sickly sweet with disgustingly fake empathy. Robin didn't think she could have been more cold and clearly lacking any feelings of 'loss or pain' if she tried. Nevertheless, Robin forced a tight smile and head nod in response.

"Thank you. It was a difficult adjustment, as Roland was only two at the time, but I've grown to love taking care of him. I really can't imagine that being far away from him would ever being in 'my best interest'," Robin couldn't resist answering tightly. Cora responded with an equally forced smile. Regina, meanwhile, looked like she was heavily contemplating the quickest means of killing herself.

"And what is it that your father does for a living that causes him to work so much?" Cora questioned further. Goodness, the _audacity_ of this woman! Robin thought that surely his shortness in his last comment would have gotten this uncomfortable subject dropped.

"He was asked here to head the police station as sheriff, actually," Robin replied simply. Cora nodded, seemingly a bit disappointed that Robin hadn't confessed his father to be some low-level, unskilled, minimum wage employee at some obscure establishment.

"That's certainly, admirable. Sometimes I feel like a warden myself, running the high school," Cora replied facetiously, earning a far too eager laugh from Zelena and a begrudging half smile from Regina.

"Especially on football game days. The football team just gets so… rowdy!" Zelena said cheerfully, shaking her head with disapproval, as though she didn't definitely know that Robin was, in fact, on the football team.

"Have you never experienced the feeling of being excited for something other than your own accomplishments, Zelena?" Regina suddenly quipped from across the table. Robins' heart leapt, both out of delight to hear the Regina that he knew suddenly making an appearance, and also out of terror for the hell that she was sure to pay for her comment. Robin forced himself not to laugh, knowing that it would only make things worse.

Cora shot Regina a look of such cold and disapproving anger that Robin literally felt the urge to step in front of her and shield her from it.

"I can't imagine you'd know what that's like, seeing as you've never accomplished anything," Zelena spit back viciously, her piercing green eyes dancing with hostility.

"You're right, since I've never accomplished a single thing, all I have to look forward to are the successes of my high school football team, " Regina responded, letting the sarcasm flow thick as she leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. Zelena smirked and raised her eyebrows.

"Although it's… _obvious_ you've never done anything athletic in your life," she retorted, glancing up and down Regina's body, making her implication clear. Robin was in shock. When Regina and their friends had alluded to the fact that Regina and Zelena did not see eye to eye, and that Zelena was the 'literal worst', he hadn't really thought much of it. But watching them tear each other apart like this was almost frightening.

"Ah, yes, because you yourself are such a distinguished athlete?" Regina sneered, arching one perfect, dark eyebrow. Zelena looked prepared to parry her jab, just as Cora clearly felt the urge to intervene.

"Regina, truly, you're not in any position to be making judgements about athletic ability," she interrupted, staring at Regina pointedly, before turning her attention back to Robin.

"Perhaps Robin here can make an athlete out of you," Cora said aloofly, as though somehow mocking both of them at the same time. Robin arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, certainly, Regina, I'm sure Coach Scarlett would love to have you. We simply just don't have enough 5'3, 120 pound people on our football team," Robin commented sarcastically, managing to subtly sneak in the fact that Cora and Zelena's ridiculous notion that Regina was fat was completely and utterly insane. Regina bit down on her lip so that she wouldn't laugh, but Robin could see the dance of amusement in her eyes, and the smile that so clearly wanted to spread across her face.

"Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt Regina to get a little exercise," Cora remarked abstractly, glancing sideways at Regina and taking a bite of chicken. Robin, horrified, glanced over at Regina, expecting to see a completely hurt and offended look displayed on her face. Rather, all he saw was a look of detached indifference, and a complete lack of surprise. How she was able to stay so calm, Robin would never understand.

"Oh, that reminds me! Regina, I have some clothes that you can have if you'd like," Zelena said, lacing her tone with mock sincerity. Regina raised her eyebrows, clearly very interested in where this was going.

"And why is it that they are no longer satisfying to you?" she asked, almost as though she were amused. Zelena heaved an overdramatic sigh.

"I've just been so incredibly stressed with keeping my grades up this year and running all of my clubs that I've been losing all this weight! They just don't fit me anymore," Zelena answered sweetly, as though what she'd just said was the kindest and most unassuming thing in the world. Robin, who was in the middle of taking a drink of water, literally spit the liquid back into his cup in sheer disbelief at Zelena's audacity. This family truly was as awful as Regina had said.

Much to Robin's admiration, however, Regina somehow managed a tight, polite smile and a comment of sarcastic gratitude.

In comparison to the last five minutes, although everything remained a bit awkward and forcibly polite, the rest of dinner passed with relatively no incident.

After another tortured half hour, Cora rose to began clearing the dishes. But, much to Robin's bewilderment, Regina stood first and stopped her.

"That's alright, Mother. You cooked, Robin and I will get all of this," Regina offered kindly. Robin watched as Zelena's green eyes suddenly filled with irritation and slight panic, as she wondered how she possibly didn't think to beat Regina to offering to clean up. Not to mention the fact that Robin scarcely understood how Regina could possibly even _consider_ offering to help Cora right now, after how awful she'd been.

"Alright, dear. I appreciate that," Cora replied, her voice detached and cool, and transmitting absolutely no sense of appreciation or affection. No surprise there, Robin supposed.

"I can help too!" Zelena said quickly, standing up. Robin swore that he could almost hear Regina's delight to be one upping Zelena.

"Robin and I can handle it. But thanks," Regina shut her down cleanly, her tone sickly sweet and venomous at the same time. Robin fought the urge to grin at the knowing but dejected look on Zelena's face. Nevertheless, Cora and Zelena both exited the dining room to allow Regina and Robin to clean.

Robin literally had to force himself not to pull Regina into his arms immediately once they left, as some sort of bizarre gesture of pity and emotional support. He reckoned she could use it.

Instead, he followed as she picked up both her plate and Cora's, and began to make her way into the neighboring kitchen to place them in the sink. Robin, who was holding his plate and Zelena's stood behind her, her back turned to him as she began rinsing off the plates in the sink.

"I'm sorry that I volunteered you to clean up," she said suddenly, taking him by surprise. But something was wrong with her voice, he could tell. She sounded a bit… strangled? He couldn't quite place it. Regardless, he knew that something was wrong. He crossed the room from his place behind her, and placed both of the plates he was holding on the counter next to the sink so that he could stand next to her. She wasn't looking at him, which just made him more sure that something was off. Not that it wasn't entirely understandable and logical that she might be upset. If it were anyone but Regina, Robin would be expecting a full meltdown, and it would be justifiable.

"Don't worry about it. Regina, are you… are you alright?" Robin asked softly, staring intently at the dark curtain of Regina's hair separating his gaze from hers. At that, she did turn her face to look at him.

She wasn't exactly crying. Not yet, at least. There were discernible tears in her eyes, and evidence that at least one or two had escaped down her cheek, but it was also clear that she had no intention of losing control of them. Regardless, Robin hated it. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her into his chest. She didn't resist.

She didn't cry either, though. He wondered if she was concerned about what he might think of her if she did, and felt the need to let her know that it would be perfectly acceptable, and not unattractive in the slightest.

"Robin… It's really okay, you don't have to do this," Regina suddenly murmured, her voice a little muffled from being pressed against his chest. It was as though she could hear his thoughts or something. Robin shook his head, but pulled away, so that he could take both of her hands and see her face. She had the same look in her eyes that she'd had before he hugged her.

"Regina… That was completely horrible, I would be more concerned if you _weren't_ upset," Robin said gently, using one of his thumbs to softly wipe away one of her tears. Regina shook her head at his statement.

"No, it's… it's not that, I'm not upset because of my mother and Zelena, really," Regina said quietly. Robin had to admit that he didn't entirely understand what else she could be upset about.

"How could you not be crying about that? Christ, I'm almost crying about that," Robin responded incredulously, raising both of his eyebrows. Regina chuckled a little bit at that, which made Robin feel slightly better. But she shook her head again.

"Honestly, I'm used to that. I know that isn't going to make you feel any better about it, but I'm so used to that at this point that it's hard for me to get upset about it," Regina answered him, sighing. Robin tried not to think too much about that.

"What is it then?"

"I just… I miss my Dad," Regina said quietly, suddenly staring up into Robin's eyes with a look of such raw vulnerability and sadness that if someone were really quiet, they could probably hear his heart breaking. Robin knit his eyebrows together empathetically, and tried to decide whether or not he should hug her again. He feared that if he did, he might never let her go.

"I haven't had a boyfriend-family dinner interrogation since Daniel when we were freshmen, and my father was there for that. He never let it get that way, he always protected me from my mother when she got out of hand, or from Zelena. And the fact that they got to do what they just did made me remember what it was like when he was here… he never would have let them ask you those things, or try and hurt me that way. It just made me particularly notice his absence, that's all," Regina continued, sighing, and averting her gaze from Robin's. This was so completely understandable, and even relatable for Robin, that he almost wanted to cry with her. Robin could relate so strongly to that awful feeling of emptiness and pain when he could plainly perceive his mother's absence. When he used to have to change Roland, or maybe soothe him after a nightmare… Or sometimes when he just wanted someone to take care of _him_ for a second, for someone to make _him_ dinner, bring _him_ something, give _him_ a hug when he was feeling lost. He hadn't felt it in awhile, but watching Regina experience it so harshly, brought memories of the awful emotion to the forefront of his memory.

"I understand," he said softly. He knew this answer, though seemingly trite and insincere, would be sufficient, as Regina knew that he truly did understand.

"And I'm also just… sorry you had to sit through that, you should never have had to do that," Regina said, sighing and shaking her head. Robin literally couldn't stand to hear her apologize.

"Regina, don't even begin to-"

"No, Robin, you really shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to deal with my crazy mother, or step-sister. You shouldn't have to deal with me, or my emotions, or my drama, or my insane past, or my stress, or any of my issues. You have enough to deal with as it is, and it just isn't fair for me to expect you to do any of it," Regina continued over his protests, staring at him seriously. Robin took a moment to realize just how much she didn't understand. Didn't understand how much he _wanted_ to deal with it all.

"Regina, I'm not sure where you've gotten the idea that I'm perfect, and don't have any of my own baggage, but wherever you got it, return it. I don't _have_ to deal with anything, I _want_ to. And this would be much easier if you'd just let me," Robin said, sighing. This did not seem to ease Regina's concern.

"Robin, if you were with anyone else you wouldn't have to-"

"If I were with anyone else, I'd have to be with someone other than you, and that fate is much, much worse, believe me," Robin interrupted her, unwilling to hear any of the nonsense that she was speaking about. Regina sighed again in frustration, as though he were missing what she was trying to tell him. He ignored her, and placed both of his hands on her hips to pull her to him. It was adorable how much this clearly distracted her, but she managed to speak anyways.

"I'm just saying, that if this is too much for you, and that if you want an out-"

"I don't."


End file.
